All Creatures Great and Small
by Huntington's Bride
Summary: As Samara approaches the Justicars with news of the Reaper threat, Shepard races towards the Bahak System to save Amanda Kenson with an ex Cerberus crew beginning to understand the implications of crossing TIM. Meanwhile, on Omega a certain vet finds that treating all creatures great and small is never as simple as it seems. Femshep/Samara Sequel to Shadow Play. Non Cannon.
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Welcome back everybody. As promised, I present to you the sequel to Shadow Play. If this is the first time you've decided to read some of my work, I strongly urge you to turn back and read this story's predecessors. In this you'll find spoilers not only for Mass Effect 2, but also the three dlcs, Lair of the Shadow Broker, The Arrival and Project Overlord though with the latter I assume that you have played it or know the basic plot as it only plays a very (very) small part in this and I've essentially covered LOSB in Shadow Play. In theory, this story shouldn't be as long as it's predecessors but I had thought that of the others as well. **_

_**So, it's anybody's guess how far this will take you. **_

_**Again my thanks for coming back. Without further delay: **_

_All Creatures Great and Small_

**Chapter 01: Peace.**

**The Justicar Samara stared at the Weeping Trees as they swayed in a soft breeze, their white, nearly transparent leaves stirring like snow as they first moved, then fell off of the trees altogether. **She stared at the garden before her and tried to find peace within herself but couldn't. She had not been able to do so in many weeks and it was beginning to bother her.

_I should be content, I have done what I needed to do,_ she though quietly as she shivered in the cold breeze, the wind promising an early autumn chill. The season was turning and she could not remember when the last time was that she had seen snow. Or stayed in once place long enough to enjoy it.

_That could end now, I could choose to stay here and find peace..._

She snorted at herself and dropped her gaze to the long sleeves of her dark red formal robe. She would not be able to remain in one place for long. Over four hundred years of travelling had conditioned her not to find peace in a location, but in herself. She thought about what peace would mean to her and unbidden thoughts of Commander Jane Shepard came to mind. In her memory, she could still feel the imprint of the woman's body against hers and of her thoughts, the commander's precious golden thoughts blooming in her mind. And, she could not deny the love that she felt from the woman...

_No. _

She pushed her thoughts away from the imprint and looked up to see a younger asari come towards her, her features serene but cautious. She was one of only two new recruits that the Justicars had had in the past fifty years. Very few were willing to take up the Order's oaths in these times where seeing the gray in the world had become so important. It used to trouble Samara but of late she found that she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

_Perhaps it's better if we just fade,_ she thought. _Let us remain legends. And let people forget to what measures we had to go to uphold justice. Of course, when the Reapers come, then even those legends will die..._

The recruit stopped in front of her and bowed slowly.

"Justicar," she said with a touch of awe and respect. "The Conclave will see you now."

Samara inclined her head slightly and looked up, beyond the Weeping Trees to where a massive glass like temple stretched up before her. Uncharacteristically, she felt a moment's trepidation but she quickly pushed it away.

_I have nothing to fear, they will hear me._

* * *

"**The first thing we'll do is see to his physical wounds," the woman was saying, her voice calm as they walked through the facility gardens.** "They had done some radical procedures on him in order to integrate him with the VI system. When those are healed, we'll attempt to see what we can salvage of his mind."

Jane raised an eyebrow and glanced at the older woman with her. She judged First Lieutenant Kahlee Sanders to be about ten years older than herself, though it was hard to tell as the blonde woman carried her years very well. She had been surprised to find her at Grissom Academy where they took the autistic and badly injured David Archer after rescuing him from a Cerberus facility. She had heard about Kahlee Sanders and the work she had done with synthetic intelligence but finding her in an academy for mostly biotics was... out of place. She wasn't sure what to think about the woman, respecting her reputation but also feeling a little uncomfortable by the Alliance colours she still wore with pride. Jane had chosen not to wear any kind of uniform for the trip because she had cut her ties with Cerberus and wasn't sure where she stood with the Alliance. Instead she had settled for simple black civilian clothes but in the presence of this woman it made her feel naked.

_How far I have fallen..._

"Our VI is in the process of uploading all of the data that we have to your systems," Jane replied. "Including how we took him off of the machine. My people tried to do as little damage as they could but none of us had ever seen anything like this."

Kahlee sighed softly and shrugged. "This is not beyond Cerberus," she spoke quietly, keeping her voice purposefully low. "I won't put anything past them anymore." Her pale blue, nearly white eyes turned briefly in the direction of their other companion but then she smiled. "VI?" Sanders gave Shepard an amused look. "If you say so."

Jane didn't rise to the bait, knowing that if anybody could spot their ship integrated AI it was Sanders. EDI's protection lay in the fact that they could hide what she was. If word were to come out that she was an AI and, what's more, an _unshackled_ one -Jane would have more than just the Reapers to worry about. Instead, she looked at the person Kahlee had glanced at.

Jack walked some distance from them, her hands in her pocket and looking every bit like a sulky teenager with her short stature. Where Jane wore civilian clothes, Jack wore, as usual, almost nothing. They had become quite used to the biotic's choice in clothing but she had drawn more than a few eyes from the Academy personnel and students alike. She had requested to come down with Jane and the only reason the commander had agreed to it was because it was the first few words that Jack had spoken to her in almost a month. She had been a part of the team that Jane used to battle the rogue VI that had trapped David's mind and the commander wondered whether it was the direct strike against Cerberus that had brought more life to the ex-convict.

Jack had been... _quiet_ ever since they left Hagalaz and Jane was angry with herself for only picking it up about two weeks ago. She had been so caught up with her own personal problems and thoughts that she had paid very little attention to those of her crew that were left. The Normandy had become increasingly empty. Mordin was on Omega with Abby, Thane seemed to have disappeared into a black hole along with Legion and Kasumi. Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner had disappeared when they did a routine stop in Illium and Grunt had been called in by Wrex a week ago before they picked up the distress signal. The Normandy's technical crew had also thinned out considerably though Jane could hardly blame any of them for leaving. They hadn't really signed up for this waiting game and a lot of them were still loyal to Cerberus regardless of their devotion to Jane. The Commander hated to see them go but knew in her heart that it was perhaps for the best as she didn't think that Cerberus would be kind to those who turned their backs on them.

She had had this discussion with Kelly Chambers who was being ridiculously naive about the whole matter.

Miranda Lawson wasn't and Jane could tell that going to Aite and destroying Project Overlord had shaken her because it was the first _direct_ strike that her second-in-command had made against the Illusive Man. There was no turning back to him now, Jane was sure of it. They had gone directly against his wishes directly by bringing David here.

Jane sighed and found herself touching her brow before she could stop herself. Sanders picked up on the gesture immediately and stopped walking, giving her a curious look.

"Headache, Commander?" she queried, her pale eyes studying Jane's features.

Shepard smiled at her calmly and shook her head. "Just tired," she said. "It was a long trip." Her gaze touched the stripes on Sanders' uniform again.

Kahlee smiled at her and she could _see_ that the woman had picked up on the lie. None the less she shrugged and turned to Jack who had now stopped to glare at something across the courtyard gardens. Jane first glanced at the biotic then at what she was studying. There was a group of students across the yard in a fenced off area. She could tell immediately that they were working with biotics as one of them raised up a shield to cover a small area. An older man was standing across the yard, large metal debris lying beside him. The glare on Jack's features was turning darker and, glancing at Sanders in apology, Jane carefully moved in beside her.

In Jack's current mood, she didn't trust the biotic to act civilised. It had taken a lot of persuasion from Jane's side not to have her tear Dr. Gavin Archer, David's brother and a leading Cerberus scientist, to shreds. She had _not_ taken well to the knowledge that the man had personally led the research that nearly turned his brother into a living computer. Her intended violence hadn't shocked Jane but it was the fact that she had struggled talking the biotic down that worried her. Ever since Hagalaz, ever since Abby left, Jack's head had gone to a darker place to which she didn't allow anybody to follow her.

Jane had asked EDI whether anything had happened between the two of them, but the AI had been frustratingly secretive about it, saying that people deserved their privacy and, if it didn't directly affect the safety of the crew, Jane had no call to use her surveillance as a spying method. Shepard had then tried to ask Jack about it but the biotic's response had been less than kind and somehow, she couldn't make herself ask Abby – though she knew the vet might be more open to explaining Jack's strange behaviour if she knew the cause of it. She had received one or two letters from the welsh woman, essentially telling her that she was doing alright. Mordin's communication was more detailed but he focused mainly Abby's health. Salarians attached precious little weight to the emotions of other species as it was believed that they felt they didn't process them fast enough. His mail was informative but Jane had found herself simply scanning through it before passing it onto Miranda and Dr. Chakwas who could pull more information out of it.

She had surprised herself by missing the vet's presence and wondered whether that was simply Jack's problem as well. The biotic had grown very attached to Abby and from their previous talks Jane knew that Jack never quite knew how to deal with that.

She heard Jack snort as Kahlee Sanders moved in next to them. The petite woman waved a tattooed hand in the direction of the biotics and looked past Jane at Kahlee.

"Don't know what the fuck you're teaching them," she said off handily, speaking for the first time. "But that fucking shield's no good. Hit it hard twicea and it'll pop like a fucking balloon."

Sanders raised an eyebrow but if Jack's colourful language bothered her, she didn't show it. Jane wanted to reprimand the younger woman, but knew to do so in company would be suicide.

"Are you a biotic?" Kahlee Sanders asked with interest, her voice pleasant and curious.

Jack sniffed angrily and shoved her hands back into her pockets. Jane noticed for the first time that her hair was longer than usual and wondered whether she had either neglected to shave or was actually planning on growing them some.

"I dabble," Jack said simply but didn't care to elaborate.

The bright amusement in Sanders' eyes told Jane that she knew exactly who Jack was, but wasn't about to show it. The blonde woman turned away from Jack and looked towards the students, watching as the instructor picked up one of the metal containers and threw it at them. It bounced off, but the students took clear strain.

"How are your shields?" Kahlee's tone never changed and she didn't turn to see Jack's shrug.

"Passable."

Jane's mind turned to their assault on the Collector base when she had send Jack along with the surviving Normandy crew in order to protect them from the seeker swarms as they made their way back to the Normandy. From what Samara had explained to her, it had taken more than a fair share of power to uphold such a large shield but Dr. Chakwas had said that Jack hardly showed any strain.

The ex-convict's powers were unsurpassed by any of her human counterparts.

Kahlee smiled at Jack's response and looked at her with curiosity. "Care to show them?" she said, nodding her head in the direction of the students. "They're always up for learning new methods and I even think that Joe could do with more technique."

The suggestion clearly made Jack uncomfortable who sniffed again and rubbed her hand over her head though there was something in her eyes, something... _eager._

"I ain't a good teacher," she pointed out but there was also a level of uncertainty in her voice that struck Jane as interesting. If she didn't know Jack any better, she'd almost have guessed that the biotic _wanted_ to go over to the students.

The amusement in Kahlee's eyes was back and she turned away from Jack, perhaps instinctively knowing that if the ex-convict thought that she was either amused with her or _humouring_ her then there would be hell to pay.

"I'm not asking you to teach Jack," Sanders said, using her name for the first time. "I'm just asking whether you would like to show them."

The biotic grumbled under her breath and for the first time glanced at Jane. It was a brief look, but Shepard immediately saw her uncertainty and her need for approval. The commander inclined her head ever so slightly, realising anew how important it was for this new Jack to have her approval. The thought was encouraging and Jane hoped that this trip would be all the biotic needed to get out of her temper tantrum.

Grumbling, not looking as if she was going to enjoy it in the least, Jack stepped over the neat little hedge that was supposed to keep people off of the grass and on the pathway and stomped over to the group, not giving Sanders a second glance. The First Lieutenant moved closer to Jane and smiled slightly, motioning to Jack's retreating back.

"So, would telling her to keep off of the grass have any effect?" The woman asked, the amusement still clear in her voice.

Jane returned the smile and shook her head. "Unfortunately not," she said. "With Jack... She'll do things her way regardless of what you tell her."

Sanders grinned. "I bet she'll do what you tell her," she pointed out, watching Jane's response as the commander shrugged.

"I'll never tell her to stay off of the grass," Shepard pointed out. "With Jack you... Have to know when to push. When to sit back. I don't fight with her or try not to anyway. She's like a teenager in that sense. Sometimes, she _knows_ what's right and what's wrong but she'll manipulate a situation to see how far she can push you." Jane trailed off, wondering suddenly why she was sharing this with Sanders.

The older woman smiled but then, as she watched Jack join the group and speak a few quick words with the instructor, her face grew more sombre.

"She's Subject Zero, isn't she?" Sanders queried. "She's that biotic that Cerberus..." She trailed off and Jane simply nodded. The silence between them grew heavier.

"Commander," Kahlee broke it finally. "You're not still in league with Cerberus, are you? David Anderson has told me great things about you and..." She grew silent, watching Jane who felt _very_ awkward in her civilian clothes suddenly.

"No," Shepard replied, keeping her voice steady. "I'm not. I cut my ties with them, as have my crew." _I hope._

Sanders studied her for a moment, then turned back to look at Jack who had pushed the students away and was now standing alone, her body language focused and her gaze intent on the instructor. He was looking at Sanders across the distance and waited for the blonde's brief nod before he turned his attention back to Jack.

"So what are you?" Sanders asked, her eyes focused on Jack. "You're not flying under the Alliance."

Jane sighed and watched how Jack's body began to glow as she threw up a shield. She couldn't see the difference between what Jack had done and the students but then, she wasn't a biotic. "I'm independent at the moment," she said. "The Alliance hasn't recalled me for duty. I think they're a bit unsure of what to do given the circumstances of my relief from duty. I'm just an... _inconvenient_ truth."

Sanders barked a laugh, surprising her. "Jane, you're the woman who not only defeated the first Reaper to come into the galaxy in over thirty thousand years but you've travelled _through_ the Omega-4-Relay _and_ you've come back from the dead. You're not an inconvenient truth, you're an awkward fact that they have no idea how to deal with."

Jane murmured something but didn't want to commit an opinion. The truth was that she was angry with how the Alliance had been treating her. Even David Anderson, although her supported her, gave her a minimal amount of guidance and her other superiors ignored her outright.

_Just like the Council..._

_And Samara._

She blinked and wondered where that thought came from. Checking herself, she refused her mind access to any of her memories relating to the Justicar and watched as Jack easily deflected two blows from the instructor. The students were talking amongst themselves but Jack ignored them, her face eager as she looked at the instructor.

"Come on!" she yelled. "Is that all you've got? Fucking pansy, what the fuck are you teaching here? Cooking?"

The instructor looked a bit taken aback by her and the students laughed nervously at her choice of words and language. Again the man looked at Kahlee who made a 'go ahead' gesture with her hand. The man stepped away from the metal and this time, his body visibly glowed with biotics. The eagerness in Jack's face was unmistakable as she dropped her shoulders slightly and waited for whatever he was planning on throwing at her. She had dropped her shield but her body glowed with biotics. Jane considered shouting a warning at her not to do anything stupid but realised that the time for that had already passed.

As she watched the man formed some sort of attack in his hands and threw it at Jack who hurled up her shields in the time it took Jane to blink, successfully deflecting the attack. A split second later, she threw her own attack at the man who barely had enough time to gather up his own shields.

From beside Shepard, Kahlee Sanders cursed in a way she would not have allowed her students to.

"God, she's fast. That's..."

Jack threw out another attack before the instructor could do anything but strengthen his shield.

"Fast," Shepard finished the sentence for the stunned First Lieutenant. "I know."

Kahlee turned to give her a look of pure disbelief. "Do you know how she does it? I've never seen such a thing. Commmander that's... Fast."

Jane sighed softly but made sure to keep her voice neutral. "We were attacked by a very powerful asari a few weeks ago," she said, keeping her voice low as she thought of Lenelle and the damage the alien had done. "She could divide her biotic flows and launch two attacks at the same time. As far as I understand, which isn't a lot I confess, I'm not a biotic, it's not common."

Kahlee was still gaping at her and then at Jack who had not let up on her attack. The instructor was barely standing and the students were gaping at the biotic with expressions of shock.

"It's not," Kahlee said. "I've never heard of such a thing. Biotics need... a cool down period. The bigger the attack, the more time they need to draw on their biotics again. To launch two attacks... She's a wonder Commander. Did she get the idea from the asari?"

Jane nodded. "While defending one of my crew members, Jack was attacked by this asari," she pointed out. "Ever since that day, she's been practicing this technique. She hasn't fully succeeded yet but other biotics on my team say that it's only a matter of time. Jack's very determined." The sentence barely left her mouth before she heard the instructor yell suddenly and fly backwards as one of Jack's attacks finally shattered his shield, the impact of it knocking him off of his feet.

He lay on the ground panting but before Jane or Kahlee could run forward he held up his hand to show that he was alright. The two women settled back and looked at Jack who had massive 'eat shit' grin on her face as she turned to the students.

"That's how you do a fucking shield," she said, her voice travelling to the two women. She sounded excited and very pleased with herself. "And that's how you fucking pulverise it. When you attack, your opponent's not going to give you time to get your breath back. Fighting's not for pussies. You get in and finish the job as quickly as possible. If you have to throw up a shield to stop an attack, you fucking take a gun and fire on the mother fucker when he stops to take a breath. You get that?"

The students nodded and immediately started bombarding her with questions but the sudden attention proved to be too much for Jack and she waved them off.

"Back off Kindergarten," she snapped and started making her way to back to Jane and Sanders. "This was fucking show, not tell." The kids had the sense to back off but continued staring at the ex-convict until she reached Sanders and Shepard. It was only then that one of the classmates thought to go and pick up their fallen instructor who had not bothered getting to his feet yet.

Jack glared at Kahlee as she rejoined them on the path, the elation from the fight gone as she challenged the woman to say anything. When Sanders did nothing but smile at her, Jack shifted awkwardly and looked at Jane.

"Are we done here?"

Jane wanted to say yes but looked at Kahlee who was still looking at Jack in wonder. The commander could tell that the woman was _seriously_ impressed with what Jack had done and perhaps, just perhaps, a little horrified. Jack had been made and moulded to fight and you didn't have to be an expert or even a biotic to realise that her little power display was the least of what she could do.

"Commander, why don't you and your crew stay here for the night?" Kahlee offered. "There are still some Alliance-related matters that I would like to discuss with you. And you might want to hang on to see how David is doing."

Jane could see the horror on Jack's face as she glanced back at the students, probably thinking that they'd be able to bother her now but she appreciated the offer and the Normandy needed to be restocked-though she didn't necessarily want Kahlee to come anywhere near the ship or its mainframe.

"I'll discuss it with my second-in-command," Jane said secretly smiling at the horror on Jack's face.

"But I don't see a problem with it."

* * *

**The letter read: **

_Dear Jack,_

_I hope this finds you well. Things are going better here, I finally have permission to move into my new clinic so we'll start moving the new equipment over within the next week or two. I've seen one or two patients at Mordin's place, but I've found myself treating more aliens than animals. Under his supervision of course. I'm still learning how to work with all the machines, I'm a technological Neanderthal._

_I've been thinking of you often and hope that..._

Dr. Abigail Gable stopped writing and sighed, looking at what she had written and then deleting it as she had done with all of the previous letters. She didn't think that Jack would read anything she sent her and doubted whether anything that she could say would make things better between the two of them. The problem was, she suspected that Jack didn't know how to forgive and in a sense, Abby didn't really understand what she should ask forgiveness for.

She grimaced and stood up, moving away from her terminal and drinking the last of her tea. It was good British stock which Asura had managed to buy for her from Harold's the week before. She suspected that the asari had gotten tired of hearing her complain and had put in a special order.

Thinking about Asura made Abby smile even as her stomach twisted with anticipation. The asari was coming in with Mordin, having organised transport for the spare equipment that he had at his clinic. She had finished cleaning her two room clinic and decided to kill the time by trying for the umpteenth time to make contact with Jack again.

As before, she failed horribly.

It wasn't that she was out of contact with the Normandy crew. Kelly sent her regular messages and they would chat online occasionally when the opportunity presented itself. Dr. Chakwas send her a letter once a week like clockwork and even Jane had send one or two in reply to those that she had send.

But Jack... Well. Jack remained distant.

Abby sighed softly and checked the time, taking note of the date as well. It was hard to imagine how quickly had gone by since they left the Shadow Broker's base. She had been in Omega for almost a month now, getting paperwork sorted and her knowledge up to date. She also needed her status as a medical professional instated. Mordin had insisted on that. Should the need ever occur, she would be able to practice anywhere else if that was in place.

Being certified wasn't necessarily difficult. She only had to write an exam to assess her proficiency at treating animals - both domestic and other. What made it challenging was how little time she had to learn. Abby felt as if she was back in veterinary school, only instead of having a few years to pick up everything, she now had three months. Mordin was confident she would be ready before she travelled to the Citadel for the exam. His teaching challenged her in a way she hadn't been since university and she had to admit that it was... satisfying.

Though it didn't give her a lot of time to think about anything else.

Especially not his _other_ tests.

Abby sighed and glanced at her hand, then, on impulse, brought her forefinger up to touch her nose while she shifted her weight to stand on one leg. She could hold this position for more than a minute and it pleased her. Feeling unendingly grateful Abby realised once again how fortunate she was. And, how incredibly _lucky_. Two months ago, she had decided to end her own life in the world she had thought was real. Regardless of what had happened to her there, she had found herself pulled into this universe where her whole perception of what was real and what wasn't was turned on its head. A part of her knew that she had to think about it and that she had to consider the fact that she might truly have gone mad in her own reality, her mind destroyed by very disease that also destroyed her balance here.

She didn't care of course. The fact that she had decided to end her life had made her say good bye to it. This was all new, all different. She used her skills from her previous life to build a new one. And yes, it was strange. Although she had been familiar with the Mass Effect Universe she had had to adjust to a whole new world. When she arrived here she didn't know how credit transfers worked or even which deodorants she liked to use. Shopping was the most daunting thing that she had ever faced and she sometimes got the impression that Omega was like one massive version of Camben Town. Yet, despite the fact that she missed her English countryside, the station had endeared itself to her. She liked the rhythm of it and the people. The human families that tried to make a living there reminded her of those from her childhood, the gypsies of the galaxy that didn't fit in anywhere else. Human were by far in the minority and the sentiment towards them wasn't very pleasant.

But, Abby had also come to realise that people, humans and aliens alike, respected any professional who attempted to bring change to the asteroid. Mordin was held in very high esteem and he used that to ensure that people understood that she was under his protection. He and Asura kept reminding her that at some point the mercenary gangs were going to start pressing her for protection money and that if ever that happened, she should just notify either of them immediately. Asura hung around her as often as she could but also tried to give her as much space as she needed. Abby was still sleeping in Asura's room though they were by no means sleeping together yet.

Their relationship was... Awkward to say the least and Abby didn't want to think about it too much. At this stage, she was just willing to accept that they still had a long way to go and that rushing anything would bring them nowhere.

Thinking about Asura, Abby found herself blushing and remembered exactly _why_ her balance was so good today. They might not be trying to rush things but hard truth of their current lifestyle was that they needed to be close in order to survive. Asura's hunger for melding was barely sated by the two meldings that they had had ever since that first night. Yet, she carried herself with an iron self-control that was almost painful to watch. She was the one who tried to push for as long a period as possible between their melding because Abby knew that deep down, the asari was _terrified_ that she would kill her.

And Abby was terrified that that fear would eventually push Asura to abandon her completely.

It was perhaps the reason why she still slept in the Ardat Yakshi's room, because she wanted to have every opportunity that she could to hold onto her even if it was only physically.

Sighing, feeling confused and miserable suddenly, Abby glanced at her omnitool for new messages only to hear the door open in the other room. She moved out immediately and smiled when she saw Mordin direct a series of mechs that were carrying heavy boxes. The salarian's instructions were quick and efficient and soon all the boxes were stacked, ready to be unpacked. Abby helped as best as she could but soon decided that it was better just to stay out of their way. She was surprised when Mordin started to direct the mechs to unpack everything as well and stepped in again, running her omnitool over the boxes to check their inventory.

"I thought we were only doing this tomorrow," she pointed out, not bothering to greet the salarian as he didn't seem to put much value into it. Or rather, he always had more important things to say to her and simple hello was a waste of time if he didn't have any.

"Change of plan," Mordin chirped happily, making her smile and remember anew why she had liked him. "Has Asura messaged you?"

Abby blinked surprised and shook her head, checking her omnitool to make sure.

"No," she said and felt her heart clench. Asura had gone on an independent job to the other side of Omega. She hadn't said who had given it to her but Abby suspected that it had been Aria T'loak herself. "Did something happen?" As dependent as Abby was on Mordin and Asura for protection, Asura was dependent on Aria. Asura had never shared with Abby the exact nature of her deal with Aria but Abby suspected that it would involve quite a lot _travelling_ across the asteroid. It didn't sit well with her, but she knew that she was more than partly to blame for this side of their predicament.

"Yes!" The salarian said happily as he turned an excited look on her. He seemed oblivious to her train of thought and motioned to the equipment that the mechs were starting to take out of the containers.

"She's found you a patient!"

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Welcome back everybody. Firstly, thank you to all who has come back to this. I'm ecstatic over the response to the first Chapter. I had been afraid that my absence might've cost me readers but it seems I was mistaken. Thank you to those who have favoured this and who are following it. This will be a cannon of 'The Arrival' dlc. Some of the dialogue might be the same. Time wise as well, the Grayson incident has not yet occurred. My intention is to try and post one chapter a week, perhaps more. I'm taking a bit to get into the swing of things though, so I ask patience. Thank you again. **_

**Chapter 02: Conversations**.

**It wasn't a patient in as much as it was a liability.** Abby looked at the creature in Asura's arms with more than a measure of doubt. It was about the size of Labrador Retriever but she knew that it weighed about twice as much. Asura's arms glowed with biotics as she placed the creature down on the table, its head flopping to one side. They were back in Mordin's lab because they couldn't prepare her own fast enough.

"I think it was in a cage fight," Asura said by way of greeting. "Found it tossed out." She looked embarrassed as she avoided looking at Abby and rather focused on Mordin. "You said that she could use the practice."

"It is excellent!" Mordin exclaimed. "Perfect specimen. Dr. Gable, what do you see?"

Abby didn't show her trepidation as she approached the creature, immediately smelling the foul odour of decay. "It's a varren," she said. "Male, I think..." She bit her lip. "That leg's been badly mauled. Clearly infected." She glanced at Mordin who motioned to her to continue. When she didn't say anything else he made the gesture again.

"How would you go about treating it?" he said. "Where would you start?"

_I wouldn't normally,_ Abby thought and took a deep breath, realising that this was one of Mordin's little tests of competency. She looked back at the varren and on impulse reached out to touch its head. An inch away from touching the creature she paused, looking at its teeth.

"Muzzle it," she pointed out and glanced at Asura who had stepped back to the corner, watching Mordin carefully. The vet had to resist the urge to go to her for a hug. What her _body_ really wanted was a kiss but she had learned some semblance of control over the past month.

At least in public anyway.

Abby tore her gaze away from the Ardat Yakshi and turned her attention back to Mordin and the varren. She stared at the creature for a bit, using it to anchor her thoughts. She had seen a few of them up close over the past month and they still frightened her. They weren't allowed to run feral on Omega but quite a lot of the krogans had them. And the vorcha for that matter. Abby never said anything but she couldn't help but wonder whether the varren weren't in fact _smarter_ than the fast reproducing vorcha.

They took the phrase 'dumb as dust' to a whole new level.

"Where can I find a muzzle?" She looked at Mordin again who grinned and glanced at Asura.

"Medical cabinet over there. Used it when running tests for plague." He pointed out to the asari. "Bring closer for us. Dr. Gable what else will you do?"

It definitively felt as if she was back in veterinary school, Abby thought and tried not to smile lest it encouraged Mordin to ask more questions. She tried to imagine what she would do if it was a dog in front of her and was about to formulate a full procedure when Asura approached the bed with a strap in her hand. Abby could once again not stop herself from smiling at the woman as she came to stand pretty close to her, holding out the muzzle. She took the leather-like material, her fingers brushing over the asari's. The vet could not control herself then as she pushed herself up onto her toes, something she haven't been able to do in almost two years, and planted a light kiss on Asura's cheek.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile that was hiding the fact that her whole body was now tingling with anticipation. Asura features relaxed as she briefly touched Abby's wrist, squeezing it gently. It took all Abby had not to shiver as her fingers spread fire up the inside of her arm.

"My pleasure Abigail."

Abby's mouth went completely dry and it took every shred of self-control that she had not to push herself up onto her toes again and give the asari a _proper_ kiss. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself unable to think and would've stood there like an idiot if Mordin hadn't clear his throat. His dark eyes were alert as he looked at the two of them.

"Very thirsty Asura," he said cheerfully, reaching over the bed to take the muzzle from Abby's numb hands and secure it over the varren's head. "Perhaps you can get me some water?"

Asura's hand tightened ever so slightly before she let go of her completely and nodded, flowing away from her in a smooth motion. "Of course Professor," she said simply and went to the door. "I'll be back momentarily."

She didn't look at Abby again and, as was always the case, the vet felt a little emptier for her departure. She swallowed and cleared her throat, trying to rake her scattered thoughts together. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she realised that the whole display had happened in front of Mordin. The salarian had taken it upon himself to study their interaction to come and understand how their physical relationship was possible. He also monitored Abby's health which she realised was necessary but still frustrating as the salarian had very few inhibitions as to the questions he asked. She could tell that he was formulating a few as he studied her so Abby cleared her throat and looked at the varren, picturing the anatomy models that she had studied.

"Sorry about that," she said embarrassed and touched the muzzle, taking note of the way he had secured it. "Let's get back to this. The first thing I'll do is start up an IV line, administer a general anaesthetic and then take an x-ray in order to determine to what extent the damage is. It _does_ look as if he was in a fight. This wound is badly infected..." She paused, thinking. "I thought varren could heal themselves like the krogan and vorcha."

She hoped that Asura wasn't going to hang around for the whole surgery but she doubted it, she knew that blood made the Ardat Yakshi uncomfortable as it inevitably made her think of her murdered family.

Mordin grinned as only a salarian can and shrugged, pulling the cabinet that Asura had brought closer.

"Not to the same extent," he pointed out. "However, does possess primary and secondary organs. Tell me Dr. Gable, what is your current level of arousal..."

* * *

"**It is therefore that I urge the Conclave to please consider my words carefully," Samara finished, looking at each of the three asari in turn, trying to judge what they were thinking. **"I believe that these reapers are a great threat and we must prepare our order for their arrival. I do not believe that our code has made any provision for the expanse of the threat that we are facing."

They weren't convinced, Samara could see it immediately. The three asari looked at her, their features troubled as they too tried to evaluate what was going on in her mind. Faylin, the youngest and newest member to the Conclave looked the most troubled. She had only been serving with her two sisters for the past twenty years and still struggled with the authority of her new position. As expected, she turned to the asari next to her, stark faced Gabri who was rumoured to have put more than a million people to death in her thousand years spent as a justicar. Gabri did not look impressed as she studied Samara and shifted her weight, briefly touching the remaining asari in a practiced gesture. Old Mother Calantha, who was close to two thousand years old and almost completely blind, returned the gesture, perhaps signalling to Gabri that she was still awake. They all had to be, Samara was sure that the news that she had brought to them would give them sleepless nights. Or, she had hoped that that would be the case but she could tell immediately by the way that Gabri shifted back that the Conclave member was the most sceptical.

"The Citadel Council has dismissed such claims," she said. "They did a full investigation into Saren's attack on the Citadel and feel that these rumours of sentient machines are false. I am surprised..."

Samara took a step forward, interrupting her. "Gabri, they did so prematurely," she pointed out. "They have not seen what I have nor could they possibly understand the full scope of the threat that we are facing. I have been investigating the disappearance of human..."

Faylin sat up. "A human matter?" she queried. "That is hardly your responsibility Samara."

Frustrated, Samara gave her a sharp look. "Among other things," she said. "It is our duty to protect the innocent. Thousands, perhaps millions of human colonists were abducted from the Terminus Systems by the Collectors. I saw them die to create a human reaper. This is a very serious threat!"

Gabri snorted. "It sounds like a human one," she said and if she tried to speak patiently she failed. "This is hardly our concern Samara. If you wish to involve yourself with human affairs then it is your burden to bare. It's hardly a matter to bring before the Conclave."

It took all her self-control not to show her irritation. "Gabri," she said. "I urge you to hear me and reconsider the words which I have spoken. This is not just a threat to humanity. This will touch all species, all living things. The Reapers are coming..."

"Do you consider this to be a universal threat because Commander Jane Shepard convinced you so?"

Samara cut off what she was saying the moment Old Mother Calantha spoke up. Her voice was dry with age but her nearly white eyes looked directly at Samara as if she could meet her gaze. Her words left the Justicar speechless. Although she had been thinking of Jane earlier, hearing her name seemed to tear through her heart. She remembered the last time she saw her, completely naked and fast asleep in her bed on the Normandy. The human's face had been peaceful then, her mind wrapped in the love that Samara felt for her.

And, that Samara knew Jane felt for her in return. Shepard loved her with the passion that only those who lived as short as humans did could. It was the only explanation Samara had for the intensity that she felt and it had frightened her.

"Samara?"

The Justicar had to drag herself out of her own thoughts and focus on Gabri who had spoken. She schooled her features to calm immediately, horrified by what she might've been showing and straightened herself.

"No Mother," she said. "Commander Shepard did not have to convince me of anything. The Reapers are real. I have seen it all with my own eyes, by the Code, I swear to you."

Faylin sat up and shook her head. "You saw it through her eyes," she said. "You saw what she showed you Samara." She looked to her sisters. "I have heard of the influence that this Jane Shepard can have. She is a strong, capable human leader who has the ability to... To shape and change the world. But she is _obsessed_ with these so called Reapers. Councillor Irissa's very worried about her actions, especially now that she's surfaced after two years at the hands of Cerberus, which you know is a pro-human terrorist group."

It took a lot of self control not to show her anger. "Commander Shepard has cut her ties with Cerberus," she said coldly. "I can vouch for her. And yes, she is strong and capable. I have seen her shape the lives of many people. But always for the better. There is a reason she was chosen to be a council Spectre. Now please, this meeting is not about her. It is about the Reapers and what I have told you..."

"Well, it is about her," Mother Calantha pointed out. "Rumour has it Samara that you have sworn an oath of subservience to her. Has it been removed?"

The two other asari fell silent immediately and Samara wondered whether this was the first time that they've heard about it. She took a steadying breath and faced them, showing no shame.

"Yes," she said simply, though she didn't eleborate. "For the mission that we had to do, I thought that it was necessary. However, throughout the course of our hunt for the Collectors, the commander had never asked me to go against my code." _But she did ask me after..._ "There are very few people that I respect as much as I do her. She is significant. And, she is right about the Reapers, which is why I thought it so important to come and tell you about it."

There was an awkward silence and Samara could tell that she had not convinced them. Her heart sank and she wondered what use was an order such as this if they could not decide to act against what was most certainly the biggest threat any of them had ever faced. They didn't even seem to _want_ to believe her.

Realising that she had nothing left to do but excuse herself, Samara inclined her forehead out of respect, though she didn't feel like doing it. Technically, the Conclave's judgement was not higher than the code, but a thousand years ago the Justicars had decided that they needed the structure that came with a governing body. Samara had never seen or used them up until now.

And, she was deeply disappointed in them.

"I would hate to waste any more of your time," she said simply. "If the Conclave would excuse me..."

"Samara one more thing," Mother Calantha said. "And then you can go."

Dreading her words, Samara turned back to the eldest asari, trying to guess what she was going to ask her now. She wondered what she was going to say if they wanted to know more about Shepard and braced herself.

"Tell me," the asari said. "I heard that you have finally found the Ardat Yakshi that you have hunting ever since you came to us. Is this true?"

Feeling as if she had been punched in the gut at the mention of her daughter Samara could simply nod, hoping that her face did not show the sudden sharp agony that she felt. Unable to help herself she saw the way Morinth had scrambled across the floor like an _animal_ to get away from her as she had walked towards her both relieved and dreading that she was finally going to get the chance to kill her.

_Mother, no... _Morinth had tried to tell her but she had not given her the chance to say anything else.

_You did not even tell her that you loved her. What were your last words to her?_ Unable to help herself, she closed her eyes. _Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess..._

"Did you send her to the monastery?" This time it was Faylin who spoke, her voice laced with too much curiosity. "Or did she resist?"

The others looked at Faylin, but didn't say anything, it was clear to Samara that she did not know the history and nobody was going to enlighten her.

"This was a highly effective killer," Samara said simply and, unable to help herself, thought of Asura. "There was only one thing that I could do. She has hopefully found her peace with the Goddess." She hated the way Mother Calantha and even Gabri nodded in unison as if they agreed completely.

"It is good that you could make that call," Gabri said. "Tell me Samara, you've been hunting her all this time. What are you going to do next?"

She sighed and realised that for all her effort, they seemed hard bent on shifting away from the Reaper Threat.

"I will convince as many as I can of Shepard's truth," she said simply and turned around, not waiting to be dismissed. "That is all that I can do."

* * *

**It even felt like an Alliance bed.**

Jane lay on her back, staring at the ceiling of one of Grissom Academy's VIP apartments wondering how it was that all Alliance beds since her childhood had felt the same. Regardless of where they were, they all felt like one bed. One very uncomfortable bed if you compared it to the one she had on the Normandy.

The one designed by Cerberus.

Despite the fact that the Normandy was docked at Grissom station, Jane had accepted Kahlee Sanders' invitation to spend the night on the station. It was difficult though, as their sleep cycles were synced to different time zones. Grissom Academy had their cycle on the 24 hours of Earth so that they could be linked up with Vancouver HQ. Jane had decided in the beginning that they were to sync the Normandy's time up with the Galactic Standard Time of the Citadel as her hope, in those first few precious months, had been that she would receive a lot more support from the council. That had never been realised, but she had never bothered changing the time to any Alliance planet as she communicated with them even less.

As she lay there in the dark, Jane couldn't help but wonder when it had happened that she had become _so_ isolated. She had been in the Alliance all her life yet it felt as if they were the first organisation to decide to turn their backs on her. The council was better in that regard, they had at least reinstated her Spectre status. Not that they wanted anything to do with her either, but it held some authority at least.

She sighed and turned on her side. Her Spectre status had not helped to convince Tela Vasir to join her and abandon her loyalty towards the Shadow Broker she served. That scratched at Shepard. Liara had dealt with the body, sending it back to the Citadel via one of her new anonymous and untraceable sources. The _new_ Shadow Broker had added that Vasir died valiantly, which she did, but it seems that it hardly worth stating as Vasir's actions before her untimely death spoke for themselves. Jane had watched with the bitter pain of regret as almost every news channel in the galaxy sang the Spectre's praises. She had done a lot of good work in her time, most probably with the help of the Shadow Broker.

There was soft knock, then a beep from the door.

Jane turned to it, but didn't answer immediately, resisting the urge to ask EDI who it was. She had gotten very used to the AI and she felt exposed knowing that that she wasn't there to keep an eye on things. Grissom Academy had its own VI, a very advanced model that Sanders had designed herself, but it didn't have EDI's soul.

_Soul,_ Jane thought as she continued debating whether or not to open the door. _Do I truly think she has a soul? What would happen to her if the Normandy was destroyed?_

She couldn't answer herself and sat up when the door opened on it's own accord. Kahlee Sanders' gaze was lined with surprise when she saw Jane and she seemed relieved.

"Ah, you're awake Commander," she said. "I was just coming in to get you. I'm so sorry about barging in."

Jane smiled in a well practiced fashion and stood up. "It's no trouble," she said. "What's wrong?" Sanders appeared as if she too had been rudely awakened.

The blonde woman motioned out of the door as she turned on the lights. "Admiral Steven Hackett wants to speak to you," she pointed out. "The message has just come through."

Jane could not hide her surprise. She had hardly heard from Hackett since she joined Cerberus. Their only communication had been when he told her that the Alliance had found the wreck of the SSV Normandy and, if she saw it fit, she could return to the planet and erect a memorial for her fallen crew members. Although she knew that she should've felt honoured for her previous command, she had felt as if it was a also a form of punishment.

At least, that's how she perceived it to be, a bitter reminder of her biggest failure next to Virmire. That planet had only cost her one person, Kaidan Alenko but the Normandy's destruction had cost her more than twenty lives.

Realising that Kahlee was looking at her, Shepard tried to keep herself from grimacing. "Where should I take it?" she queried. "Should I return to the Normandy?"

Sanders shook her head immediately and picked up something she must've put down on the floor when she had opened the door. "No," she said. "He wants the communication to be private. We have a very secure line my office. I would suggest Commander that you get dressed and then I'll take you there."

She held out a bundle of neatly folded clothes. "You seem to be my height. Approximately."

Jane frowned at the clothes but took it regardless. "What's this?" she queried. "I do have clothes here." She didn't like the unreadable expression in Sanders' nearly white eyes as she shook her head.

"I think it might be best to go in uniform Commander," she said simply. "For protocol's sake." _And peace._

Jane's heart clenched and she wondered suddenly what could be so urgent that he would not only bother her in middle of the night by Vancouver standards but wish to speak to her in private. _Am I being arrested? Court marshalled? What?_

Her hands caressed the familiar fabric of a formal Alliance uniform and noticed that Sanders must've removed all the pips, not showing either of their rank. Some of her thoughts seemed to have made it to the surface as Sanders gave her a brief smile.

"I don't think it's a negative summon Commander," she said. "He has just expressed concerns over the security of the Normandy's communications."

That in itself felt like a slap in the face. Jane glared at the uniform Sanders suggested that she should wear and had the strangest urge to go and talk to him in her pyjamas. She wasn't _with_ the Alliance anymore...

But...

She was. In a way. They might not acknowledge her but she was still a part of the system. She sighed miserably, admitting defeat and nodded towards Sanders, motioning to her to close the door. The woman hesitated for a second, wondering whether she meant for her to remain inside the room or outside and Jane didn't care to clarify. She went to the private bathroom to see what damage she could do to her hair. Sanders decided to remain in the room, closing the door before she sat down on a chair in the room. Even in the bathroom, Jane could feel her pale eyes studying her. Shepard remembered their conversation in the garden and wondered what else the woman wanted to ask her. She rinsed off her face, smoothed down the worst of her pillow hair and quickly dressed in Sanders' uniform. It was a little tight but it did what it had to do. As so many times before, Jane was amazed at how her body just _remembered_ things. Most of the muscles and limbs and even some of her fingers were completely 'new' after Miranda's reconstruction yet they had still retained that muscle memory that came with years of experience.

_I am me, I am who I was..._

But she wasn't.

Before she was done buttoning up the uniform, Jane felt herself stopping and closing her eyes. When she did, Samara came to mind and she remembered that first time the asari had approached her in the shower. Perhaps it was her anticipation over speaking with Hackett that made her so raw, or perhaps it was being here, in a system she no longer felt a part of but the pain that the Justicar's absence left in her came back tenfold. She braced herself against the sink, feeling her arms tremble with the force that she used gripping the sides. She moved her one hand and pushed it against her chest, trying to massage out the pain but it refused to leave her. She could feel her heart beating against her ribs and she knew that the only thing that could take the sensation away was Samara's touch.

_How could you leave me like that?_ _How could you leave me to deal with this on my own?_

When she opened her eyes she realised that Kahlee Sanders was standing in the doorway, looking at her. Her expression was unreadable and if she had considered touching Jane she changed her mind when she saw the look in the commander's eyes.

"Are you alright Jane?" she asked, her voice not exactly concerned but her empathy clear.

Jane took a deep breath and nodded. "Just worried," she said with a small smile. "I feel as if my father summoned me."

Sanders raised a pale eyebrow and smiled at her, though her eyes kept on searching Jane's features.

"You only need to fear your parents if you did something wrong," she pointed out then shrugged. "Not that I was ever really summoned by my father." _Jon Grissom. The first man to travel through a Mass Effect relay._ "Did you do something wrong, Commander?"

Jane snorted and shrugged, thinking that she was just going to go in her normal shoes. She looked presentable enough for a video communication.

"Not that I know of," she pointed out. "But our world's rules are changing so fast I'm never sure whether I'm doing things _right_ either."

She was surprised to find that Sanders was smiling at her and felt incredibly uncomfortable, once again slightly intimidated by the woman's presence.

"As far as I know Commander," she pointed out and stepped out of the doorway. "You're the _only_ one out there doing anything right. And people will see it. Your friends certainly do."

Jane smiled but she wasn't convinced. Liara had certainly not felt that she did right by her but at least they seemed to have decided to let that go. She was the one who had told them of Project Overlord's location and now that Jane understood what they had done on that Cerberus base she was very grateful for Liara's help. They were more open with their communication in these past few weeks and although Jane knew they had a long way to go before they could completely salvage their friendship she had hope that they were on the right track.

She wasn't so sure that she was on the right track with the Alliance.

"Are you ready to go, Commander?" Sanders asked, once again bringing her out of her thoughts.

Realising that there was no use delaying the inevitable, Jane nodded and followed Sanders out of the bathroom, pausing only to put on some shoes. It dawned on her that the conversation _could've_ been worse than she was expecting it to be.

It could've been her mother calling.

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: A day late, but Merry Christmas everybody. I hope that you and your family had a wonderful time and will have an amazing year. **_

**Chapter 03: Dog. **

Kahlee Sanders might've told her that she had nothing to worry about but Jane's stomach still turned as she stepped into the woman's private office. The blonde woman wordlessly went to her computer and typed up a few commands, fiddled with her omnitool, then stepped back as a big screen appeared in front of them. Jane had wanted a warning before the conversation started but, before she even managed to gather herself, Hackett's face appeared on the screen. He didn't look at her immediately, but turned to Sanders, a brief smile touching his eyes. It struck Shepard that those eyes had seen a world change completely. And, when the Reapers came, he would see it change again. She tried to school her features to calm and waited quietly as Hackett thanked Sanders for setting up the conversation. Kahlee excused herself soon after, smiling briefly at Shepard as she left.

Jane watched her go, then turned to the screen, stepping forward as she did so and immediately saluting the admiral. It was the first time that she had seen him since her resurrection and he looked... older.

"Admiral," she greeted, her voice tight but hopefully open.

He too took a moment to look at her, his eyes as sharp as ever as his gaze touched first her face then Kahlee's uniform. "At ease Commander," he said. "You look... well."

Jane smiled briefly and relaxed her body. "As do you sir," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She regretted saying it immediately, realising that it sounded as if he was an old friend who had decided to visit her. She started to think on how to recover from that but, to her surprise, Hackett hardly blinked.

"Your visit to Grissom could not have come at a better time Shepard," Hackett said. "You and I need to talk in private."

Jane nodded, but couldn't help but shift. "We would've had privacy on the Normandy as well, sir." she said. "Our communication lines are secure - for future reference." Despite her efforts to appear calm, she could tell that Hackett had picked up on the defensive tone of her voice. His eyes narrowed but he simply nodded.

"Noted Commander," he said. "I have heard from Anderson that your trip through the Omega 4 Relay was a success. Congratulations, I had no doubt that you'd be able to pull it off." There was a chill in his voice that Jane wasn't sure he was aware off.

"Thank you sir," she said simply and hesitated. "Are you... here to recall me to duty?"

To her surprise, Hackett barked a laugh. "No Commander," he said. "No, not at all. Exactly the opposite in fact, it is very convenient that you're not on active duty at the moment. I need your help, as a personal favour but I think that it is also in line with your current mission."

Shepard made sure to keep her expression neutral. "What is it about sir?" she queried and moved her arm so that she could activate the recording function of her omnitool.

Hackett hesitated and tried to look around the limits of his video call. "Is Sanders still in the room with you?" he queried. "Or has she gone?"

Jane glanced behind her to make sure but she shook her head and carefully took Kahlee's chair so that she could sit down. "She left sir," she said. "What do you need me to do?" She had said that phrase so many times because inevitably, that's what it all came down to. People always needed _something_ from her.

Hackett grimaced and sat back in his own chair, taking off his hat as he did so.

"Commander, a few months ago I sent out an operative called Amanda Kenson to investigate rumours of a Reaper artefact," he started. "I did this without the permission or knowledge of the Defence Committee or any of my superiors as they had decided that these rumours were unimportant and too dangerous to investigate further." He paused and Jane, trying to still the tightening sensation in her stomach, sat back a little.

"How so?" she queried, realising that she wasn't going to like the reason.

Hackett could see her hesitation and grimaced. "As with the Council," he began slowly. "All of the Committee members feel that your perception of the Reaper threat is over exaggerated. They're not willing to dismiss it completely, Anderson is seeing to that, but they don't want to make a move on it. It's one of the reasons they're allowing you the free rein that you have..."

Shepard's eyes narrowed at this and she interrupted Hackett without thinking. "So, I'm their contingency plan?" She queried. "They don't acknowledge my work, refuse to support me because they're afraid that I'm wrong and might taint their name. Yet, they leave me out here _just in case_ I'm not."

The sadness in Hackett's eyes told her that she was right and the thought of it made her feel angry and abandoned. She could've done so much more if the Alliance and the Council just gave her the support she had requested. Or even the acknowledgement. Now, she was constantly fighting people's perceptions that she was just _a little bit_ crazy.

"For now it's better that way Jane," Hackett said, interrupting her mental tirade. "You have a lot more freedom now than you would've had with Alliance colours."

Jane sniffed and couldn't keep the chill from her voice. "Like the freedom to go and help your operative," she pointed out. "The one nobody knows about." She sighed and drew herself towards herself, pushing away the aching bitterness that she felt. "Tell me about her mission."

Hackett took a moment to study her features and then put on his business expression. "Dr. Amanda Kenson's a brilliant scientist," he began. "And at least one more person that you have completely convinced of the Reaper's imminent arrival. She discovered that the Mass Relays predate the Prothean's existence and her research on it is irrefutable. She's been using it to support your claims and have rallied quite a group of scientists to help find any further evidence." He paused, his expression softening a little as if he was trying to put her at ease. "She even met with Dr. Liara T'soni to talk to her about what she had discovered about the Protheans and her early theories on their destruction."

Thinking about Liara, Jane shifted uncomfortably. "When was this?" she queried, wondering if it's been in the past month or before.

"A few months ago," Hackett supplied the answer. "When you were still... at the Cerberus station." Unconscious, barely alive. "Her people found evidence of a Reaper artefact or rather, rumours of one and she approached me with a request for the Alliance to fund the mission and for security support."

Jane frowned and folded her hands together. "Security support?" she queried.

"The artefact's in the Ba'hak system," he pointed out. "Have you heard of it?"

Jane had, when she was still stationed in Elysium and they were gathering intel on the batarians. "It's a batarian system," she said. "One of the largest. Mostly uninhabited by other species." Because we all know how pleasant _they_ can be. "Am I right?"

Hackett nodded, seeming relieved that he wouldn't have to explain it. "You can understand now the Alliance's hesitation to show support as well?" he said. "Our relationship with the batarians is shaky at best. They would not support any kind of militarisation of their space. Mercenaries yes, but anything or anyone linked with the Alliance would be seen as a threat. The Defence Committee decided that it was too much of a risk to galactic relations to send a team to investigate so they declined Kenson's request."

Jane said nothing, but felt her old rage burn in her again. She couldn't believe that people were still worried about politics when the fate of the whole _galaxy_ was at risk. When the Reapers came, all politics would fly out of the door.

Hackett seemed to wait for her to say something but when she didn't comment, he cleared his throat and continued. "In light of what we know, I thought that these rumours were too dangerous to ignore, so I found her private funding and told her to gather up a team of scientists and mercenaries to travel through to the system. They were very careful not to be detected and have been running a covert operation there for the past few months."

Jane shifted and frowned, thinking that they were doing with Kenson exactly the same that they were to her. Things were set up in such a way that the Alliance had total deniability. It would always be the 'rogue scientist' or the 'rogue soldier's' fault if something went wrong.

"What did they find?" she queried neutrally.

"It is a Reaper artefact," he said. "Or so her last report said. We have had minimal contact due to the nature of the operation."

Jane shifted uncomfortably, thoughts of Saren coming to mind. "Have they made attempts to destroy it?" she queried. "Have they brought proof back for the Alliance?"

Hackett shook his head. "Not yet," he pointed out. "Kenson said that she needed more time to research it. For her, the evidence is conclusive but she realises that the Committee and the Council for that matter would require more than just a chunk from an ancient relic. She assured me that she's taking every precaution. She's not a fool Shepard, I have known her... for a very long time."

That pause.

Jane looked at Hackett, wondering what sort of relationship he had with this scientist. She had scratched through the back of her mind for any information about the woman, but had come up blank and made a mental note to ask Liara what she thought of her in their meeting.

"So, what's happened?" she queried. "Why do I need to get involved?"

Hackett blew out a steadying breath and fixed her with a quietly desperate look. "This morning I received a report that Kenson had been arrested by a batarian patrol and taken to a prison on Aratoht on charges of terrorism. I have no idea what proof they have to make such claims and..."

"The Alliance doesn't want to stick their noses out," Jane said. "It's easier to write her off as a single vigilante right?"

Hackett paused, alerted by her tone but unable to piece it out. He grimaced and cleared his throat. "If she's linked up to the Alliance with such charges it will be a political shit storm," he pointed out, his crude remark surprising Jane. She had never so much as heard him say damn. "Or, that's what they say in any case. You and I know that the batarians are just looking for a reason to start a war with us. I cannot believe that those charges are true but the batarians will make _her_ a scapegoat in order to forward their own political agendas. They have not forgiven us for Elysium."

_Nor we them,_ Shepard thought bitterly and grimaced.

"So, what do you want me to do?" she said. "Go and reason with them? I don't think that I'm the right person for that Hackett, they still remember me from Elysium."

Hackett smiled briefly, the pride in his eyes paining her as much as it made her swell with pleasure. As a close family friend, his approval had come to mean a lot to her after her father's death. _I really should... No._

"You're the right person for what I need doing," Hackett pointed out. "But, before I continue I would like to point out Shepard that this is not an order. It's a personal request. A favour, if you will. I do not want to see Kenson suffering in some stinking hell hole of a batarian prison. I want you to get her out of there. And, while you're there, you can bring information back about the artefact that she's found. I think that there's much to gain in the knowledge that she's gathered."

Jane nodded, but didn't say anything immediately, thinking over what he had said. It was hard not to read it as an order, this man had been _telling_ her what to do all her life. And, she had been happy to do it, she had looked up to him with the kind of hero worship that only a child could muster. Her biggest honour had been when she heard that he had supported her as a choice for Spectre. Her mother had said...

She stopped the train of thought and turned back to Hackett, studying his aging features. "Can you send me everything that you have about the artefact?" she queried. "If Kenson's forwarded you any data that is, I would like to show it to my crew."

Hackett's features froze.

"Shepard," he began slowly. "I would rather you keep this..."

She glared at him and stood up abruptly. "My crew can be trusted," she said. "If I go, I'm putting their lives into just as much danger as I'm putting my own. And I need them to evaluate the data. I don't know the top from the ass end of a Reaper rock." _I have to make sure that it's worth it..._

It took the old Admiral a long time to answer. "Shepard," he said quietly. "I would rather as few people know about Kenson as possible," he said. "She's a close friend of mine and I would hate to see her killed or persecuted because of an information leak. Can't you do this on your own?"

Jane frowned and wanted to shake her head but paused. "Let me evaluate the data first," she said and carefully sat down again. "Then I can give you a good estimate. I'll see what I can find about the prison, make an assessment. Then I'll be able to tell you whether it would be possible."

Hackett looked frustrated and the light in his eyes told Jane that he was debating whether or not to make this an order. But, then he sighed and nodded, glancing down at his own omnitool. "I'll send you what I can to this terminal," he pointed out. "Please delete it immediately. This must not spread further than it needs to." He paused. "Can you help me Jane? Please. Amanda's a good friend, I would hate to see her come to harm. Your mother knows her as well."

At the mention of Hanna Shepard, Jane felt herself go cold and the thought she had abandoned before came back. _I really should contact my mother._

"I... I'll see what I can do," she said. "I'll try my best. I promise."

The Admiral nodded, but seemed to sense that he now had her in an awkward position. And, she suspected that he knew what triggered it.

"Thank you Jane," he said. "Tell me, when last did you hear from your mother? She is worried that you're not receiving her communications."

Jane didn't answer, thinking about all the unopened messages that were in her terminal. She had opened the first, a desperate letter that was so unlike her mother, begging her to confirm that she was who she was, that she was alive and well. That she was her daughter.

Jane had not been able to answer that and every other communication with the older Shepard had been a struggle. Kelly was constantly pushing her to make contact with her and even Liara was starting to mention it. But... She couldn't make herself do it...

"Jane?"

Hackett's voice was stern, not like that of an admiral, but of a father ready to discipline his daughter. "Have you been receiving her communications?"

Feeling uncomfortable, Jane resisted the urge to get up again. She found that she could not meet Hackett's gaze and looked at the blinking light of the terminal instead, telling her that there was data coming through.

"I have been very busy," she said. "And there's a lot of mail." Her heart clenched and her stomach turned. "Has... She been well?"

Hackett was definitively frowning at her now. "She lost her daughter Jane," he said. "She's lived with that pain for two years and now that you've come back she hardly hears anything about you. How do you think she's feeling?"

Jane couldn't say, but she knew that _she_ was feeling that this was none of Hackett's business. She didn't know what to say and realised that she must've looked like a sulky teenager, staring at the blinking light of the download. She was going to have to ask Sanders how to take it from her terminal and hoped that the woman wouldn't ask too many questions. She didn't want Hackett accusing her of sharing his dirty laundry at the first opportunity that she got.

"Jane?"

Again that tone.

She got up abruptly, still not looking at him. "I'm going to have to get Sanders to download these files," she said. "I'm sorry but I don't think I'll be able to take them from her computer without her passwords. She'll know not to say anything right?"

Hackett looked at her and shook his head, clearly exasperated. "Janie," he said quietly. "You have to speak to her. You have to see her."

She didn't want to.

Jane put on her poker face as best she could and nodded simply. "I'll do so the moment I'm finished with your mission Admiral Hackett," she said. "I see the download's finished. Thank you for the information, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Shepard out."

She shut down the connection before he could make a decent reply.

* * *

**Talking to the Conclave had left her feeling tired, drained and just a little bit hopeless.** Samara walked through the temple gardens, thinking that she truly knew the meaning of despair. That she had seen it in all its forms.

She felt despair now as she looked at the tranquil scene around her, at the one or two sisters of her order that was around. They would come here for Sanctuary, to mediate on the Code and share connection with those who knew the bond and its price. In her previous visits, she too had taken comfort in others, but now Samara couldn't make herself approach any of them. She wanted to be alone in her despair and frustration.

Yet, it seemed that despite her hesitance to approach anybody, some didn't have the same reserve. Samara thought that she heard her name called but didn't react to it immediately, hoping that it was a trick of her imagination.

"Samara!"

Hearing it again, she realised that there was no denying it and stopped, turning towards the direction of the call. She was surprised by who it was and found herself stiffening unconsciously though there was no real reason for her to do so.

Although Phora was younger than she was, she had been a Justicar for about two centuries longer. Whereas Samara had never considered becoming a Justicar in her youth, it was said that Phora had never considered anything else. She was ruthless in the pursuit of justice but incredibly fair. And she was unrelenting in her pursuit of the Code. Before meeting Jane, Samara had only encountered three Ardat Yakshi, her own daughters. Yet, it was said that Phora had already dealt with more than a dozen of them and either killed them or took them to the monastery. She had known of Samara's quest to kill Morinth and had offered help several times, but it was something Samara had felt quite strongly she should do on her own. Uncomfortably, she realised that she had prayed more often than not that her daughter would never encounter the other Justicar. She had tried to make Morinth's end as swift as possible, but Phora...

_Her smooth skin shivered under her touch, her eyes, so familiar, stared up at her, pleading..._

Samara closed her eyes against the memory of Morinth's last and tried to smile at her fellow sister of the Code but it was a half hearted attempt. To hide it, she chose to bow to Phora as was sometimes tradition.

"Sister," she said smoothly. "We are well met in the arms of the Goddess."

The Justicar laughed, her eyes ever bright and now, looking at her, she reminded Samara of Lenelle.

"Indeed we are," she said. "Welcome back Samara, I have not seen you in many years."

Samara tried to push away the cold feeling in her stomach and the memories of being tortured by the Ardat Yakshi and nodded, taking the moment to break away from Phora's gaze. "It has been a long time," she said. "You look well."

Phora smiled, but her greenish tinted eyes studied Samara intently. "And you look disappointed," she pointed out. "I heard you had a meeting with the Conclave. May I enquire as to why? I presume it did not go as planned."

Samara sighed and shook her head but didn't care to elaborate even though she realised that she had to start warning her sisters. "I will bring the matter to them again," she said simply. "I have not lost hope. Tell me, how have you been? Has the Goddess favoured your hand?"

Phora's smile was anything but pleasant. "Yes," she said. "And, I hear that she has finally favoured yours. I believe that you have managed to kill that Ardat Yakshi you have been in pursuit of. She was a formidable foe, I have to congratulate you."

Samara sighed and shook her head. "I should not be congratulated for ending a life," she said. "It is not in the Code to take pleasure in killing. Morinth's..." Saying her name hurt. "Her end was..." _Goddess._ She had to take a deep breath. "My only regret is that I could not kill her sooner and I take comfort in the fact that I had not been able to do so sooner."

Phora shrugged, apparently ignoring her discomfort. "She was a formidable opponent," she said again. "I too have tried to capture her, but she was very resourceful. Like you. And like that Commander Shepard that you have been seen with in Illium. I have been there in the past two months, there are rumours of another Ardat Yakshi. She left two victims there. Both mercenaries strangely enough. I believe she likes to hang with dangerous crowds."

Samara said nothing, that scratching feeling left from letting Asura go intensifying. She didn't comment but simply nodded, casting her gaze away from Phora so that she could look across the gardens, hoping that her sister wouldn't see her unease. She was very good at hiding what she felt, but Phora was very good at what she did.

Again though, the Justicar didn't seem to want to rise to the bait and touched her arm instead. "If you hear anything on the matter, let me know," Phora said, her eyes bright with the thrill of pursuit. "And, if you wish to accompany me, you're welcome. Perhaps it will take your mind off of... whatever is troubling you. And, it would be nice to have company." Her grip intensified, making Samara pull away from her not because it hurt, but because it reminded her of Jane.

"I'll see," she said simply. "I will leave a message with an informant if I decide to join you. Tell me, where will you be going from here?"

Phora smiled and shrugged. "To Omega of course," she said. "That hole attracts them like flies to a corpse. But you know that of course."

Samara didn't know what to say and simply stared at her. When Phora didn't say anything else she sighed and nodded.

"That it does," she said and thought of her daughter. Her beautiful, brave daughter. "That it does."

* * *

"**Should I come in to look at him during the night?" Abby asked as she and Mordin stood in front of the pen of the sleeping Varren**. It was still very doped up but judging by its changing statistics, Abby could see that it's health was already improving. Her judgement had been sound and they had needed to amputate the leg due to a severe infection that had spread all the way to the bone. Mordin's guess was that the animal had been a cage fighter and had lost one too many. Abby remembered that as a part of the game on Tuchnanka and even then had not been able to put the varren together even though had only been a game. She had seen too many fighting dogs in her life and had been at her fair share of fights when she was younger. It had all been illegal of course, but it had been a practice some of her rougher cousins enjoyed. She had used those evenings to cement the drive in her to become a vet and it sickened her that people were still doing it. She had no doubt that, if they were putting varren together, they were putting all sorts of other fighting animals together as well.

"Not needed," Mordin said happily. "Varren strong. Survived surgery, will likely live to be another hundred. Very long-lived animals." He turned his attention from the varren to her. "You did a good job."

Abby blushed with pride and didn't comment. The truth was that she had felt as if she had fumbled through most of it, but that was partly what veterinary medicine was all about. Animals came in all shapes and sizes and it was impossible to know all of them. She had once operated on a badger even though her veterinary textbooks never even mentioned them. It was a satisfying profession, filled with its own set of rewards and let downs.

Mordin had let her take control of the procedure, following her directions and commenting only when he thought that she was _really_ making a mistake. The varren it seemed were forgiving patients and ideal for teaching as very few things killed them. She had loved doing the work and had secretly loved that she was _able_ to. She had not operated at all in the past few months before she arrived in the Mass Effect Universe, her manual dexterity too degenerated for any fine work. It felt good to be proud of something again and to realise that all her knowledge and abilities were being applied again. It made this world, that was in a lot of ways kinder to her than her own, so much better to live in.

"I think I'll check up on it regardless," Abby said, drawing the conversation back to the varren. "Just... for study. Asura said that she'll come and get me before dinner. Do you have any plans tonight Mordin?"

The salarian's eyes brightened. "Planning to meld?" he said. "Still need to sit in. Must study effect..."

Abby had to stop herself from chocking and held up her hands quickly. "We're just going out for supper," she said, aware that her face felt as if it was on fire. "Mordin I told you..."

The salarian made a disappointed sound. "Don't understand fuss," he pushed the matter. "Said it's not physical. Don't need to get naked at all. Can even get naked. Have seen both species without clothes."

Unable to help herself, Abby pressed her hands against her face to try and hide her embarrassment. "I... No Mordin," she said, almost shaking with shame. "No."

The salarian snorted and shook his head. "Going home then," he said. "Call me if you change your mind."

Abby didn't dare look at him, but turned to the varren, realising that they had forgotten to put water down for it.

"It..." She didn't know what else to say. "Right. When..." Her words froze in her mouth. "I'm going to get it some water."

Mordin was already leaving, happily oblivious to her discomfort. She was glad that he had such a short attention span when it came to topics he couldn't get anywhere with. She wondered whether it was because salarians lay eggs and was so intellectual about their reproducing habits. She tried to imagine him sitting in on her and Asura melding and shuddered.

_No, stars help me... _

She found a bowl used for holding some medical instruments and turned them out, filling it up with water. Varren were like krogan, capable of eating and drinking anything. She went back to the pen, taking a small delight in not spilling any of the water and carefully opened the cage, slipping in the water as she did so. She looked at the muzzle that was still around the creatures mouth and hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should remove it. After some consideration, she did so, figuring that if they needed to work with it again, they could always just sedate the varren. She had a feeling that she would have to get a few muzzles for herself because they were pretty popular pets as well. And if they were being used in fighting...

She felt a sense pass through her and realised suddenly that varren had opened its eyes. She had slipped her hand in underneath its head to raise it when she pulled the muzzle off and had never removed it, lost in her own thoughts.

_Oh stars..._

The varren looked at her, its beautiful eyes dazed from the medication they had given it.

"Good dog," Abby whispered, hoping that the animal didn't sense how stressed she was. "There's a good dog, you're alright. Welcome back."

The varren shifted, pushing its head against her hand. Abby bit her lip and then slowly started moving her fingers against its skin until it raised its cheek. She watched it for any signs of aggression but it seemed unaware of her unease. Feeling more comfortable, Abby smiled and carefully moved her hand so that she could stroke its nose.

"There's a very good boy," she said. "Well done, that's such a good lad." As she removed her hand, it moved, sleepily, pushing into her fingers for more. Abby made a pleased sound, feeling herself grinning as she continued rubbing its face. She sat down and continued to rub it for almost an hour, taking comfort in the familiar gesture. It dawned on her that she missed her dog and had never been without a pet her entire life.

_Maybe..._

"We're not taking it home."

Asura's voice startled her and Abby, who now had the varren's head in her lap as it slept soundly startled up out of her thoughts, turning back to look at the Ardat Yakshi. She looked both alarmed and amused, her gaze sharp whenever it touched the varren but incredibly soft whenever she looked at Abby. The vet grinned at her and motioned to the back of the cage.

"You're going to have to pull him back a bit," she said. "I can't push from here."

Asura moved carefully to the back of the pen and gently grasped the varren's back legs. For a brief moment, Abby wondered whether asari could meld with them as well and immediately decided that she didn't want to think about it. Together, they manoeuvred the now sleeping creature back into its cage. Abby closed it and then stood up with a groan, her one ankle fast asleep.

"I wasn't think about it," she said, smiling at the Ardat Yakshi. "But... Now that you've mentioned it..."

Asura smiled at her, kindly and filled with a soft emotion Abby couldn't place though it frightened her a little bit. _Was it love?_

"My answer will still be no. Is Mordin coming to dinner with us?"

Thinking about the salarian, Abby forgot the varren entirely and blushed again.

"No," she said. "He's interested in a different sort of..." She daren't stay it and changed her mind. "Well. No. He's busy tonight. And, for the record, he wanted us to get busy again. In this company." She gave Asura a desperate look.

"He's not getting the message."

Asura sighed exasperated and rolled her eyes, glancing at the varren one last time.

"I find that with salarians, you have to say no several times," she pointed out. "Now, do you still want to go out for dinner? I found a place that does Yorkshire pudding."

Abby grinned, realising it was something Asura had recently discovered in a memory of hers. The asari had dreamt about it and had asked Abby about it the moment she woke up. Asura had not been pleased to find that Abby didn't know how to make it. She had never been very good with cooking.

"That sounds great," she said and glanced back at the varren. "When we come back... Can we stop here again? I'd like to keep an eye on him. You know. Just in case."

Asura raised an eyebrow and smiled at her.

"Of course," she said. "I'd hate to see your first patient die on you, Dr. Gable." Her smile was both mischievous and sultry, awakening the spark that she had kindled in Abby when she brought the varren in. It made Abby's mouth dry, but she pushed away the feeling.

She was getting better at resisting Asura.

The problem was, she didn't always want to...

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 04: Alpha.**

**There were three of them staring at the map and Jane wasn't the only one frowning. **Garrus, standing to her right, was the first to speak, his alien-like eyes shifting between the schematic and Shepard.

"You realise of course that this is their dirty laundry right?" He stated more than queried. "They don't want to touch you because they're afraid that you'll 'taint' their reputation. But, the moment there's a black mark they can't get at, they pass it onto you."

He glanced at Miranda, who was the other person with them. She was frowning at the map and made no attempt to comment or even look at them. Even though Hackett had said that he didn't want her crew involved, Jane could not help but discuss the situation with Miranda and Garrus. She needed their opinion and their insight.

The turian's words made Jane uncomfortable but then again, ever since Hackett had given her this mission she had felt as if there were ants crawling underneath her skin. She wished that Miranda would speak up and voice her opinion. The woman had the ability to remain objective regardless of the circumstances. The only time Jane had ever seen her stray away from that was when it concerned her sister. And that had simply made her human, something which had endeared her to Jane.

"It's more complicated than that Garrus," Jane said and motioned to the schematic of the jail. "Kenson has information..."

"About a reaper artefact," Garrus finished her sentence for her. "Yes yes yes. The bait. Hackett threw the one thing in front of you that he knows you can't resist. Very convenient." He looked at Miranda. "Are you going to say _anything?_"

The dark haired woman raised an eyebrow as she glanced at him, her mouth thin either with amusement or irritation. Jane couldn't really tell.

"It's going to be difficult taking Kenson by force," she pointed out. "We're severely outnumbered."

Garrus blinked at her as if she had gone mad and Jane almost smiled. For the most part, Miranda and Garrus ignored each other even though they were probably the two people that she trusted the most. She wondered whether they had ever had one decent conversation.

But, there was always a first time.

"You're not seriously considering going after her," Garrus pointed out. "Miranda, this is an _Alliance_ mission."

Miranda shrugged and looked at Shepard. "As far as I understand it isn't," she said. "It's a personal request from one of the most powerful people in the Alliance military. We might not have the Council's approval, but when the Reapers come they'll have to stand back regardless. People like Hackett would be important to have on our side." She frowned. "I am however concerned that he's waited until now to approach you. Or, not concerned but..." she shifted awkwardly and crossed her arms. "He _is_ using you Jane."

Realising that it was time to step in before Garrus answered, Jane stepped forward with a nod. "I know," she said. "And yes Garrus, I know that it's very convenient for him to come out of the woodwork now. But he _has_ come out and I believe that this is an opportunity to regain some of his favour that I can't overlook."

Garrus's mandibles shifted in irritation and he shook his head in exasperation. "Jane, you should never have lost his favour," he said frankly. "Nor the Alliance's, nor the Council's. They should all just..." He trailed off and sighed, realising that it was a touchy and awkward subject to Jane. She had truly hoped that she would have more support by now, but people were unwilling to recognise the reaper threat. "The batarians are a tricky bunch," Garrus continued, his tone more reserved. "Hackett is right; they're not going to like the Alliance sniffing around on their turf." He glanced at her again. "And they're not going to be happy to see _you._"

Jane smiled bitterly, thinking that it was exactly what she had said to Hackett, but simply shrugged it off. "That was almost nine years ago," she pointed out. "People should stop..." She sighed not quite sure how to continue. She had barely been enlisted in the Alliance for four years when the Skyllian Blitz occurred and it was simply circumstances that had allowed her to step out of there alive, let alone a war hero. She still knew that, if she had not grown up in the Alliance, if she had not been taught to strategize ever since she could walk by her military parents, she would not have come out of there at all. She had seen the value of good leadership in that time and it had taught her how important it was to be able to keep your squad's respect and loyalty.

"Needless to say, this is going to be a covert operation," she continued, not looking at either Miranda or Garrus. "We can even try and pass it off as Cerberus, that way – if we do run into some trouble, the Alliance won't be implicated."

Miranda shifted awkwardly but said nothing. She had stopped wearing the Cerberus logo on her uniform but Shepard could tell that it still made her uncomfortable. Very few of the crew members left showed any allegiance to the pro human organisation. Shepard was pleased with this, but it also meant that they were understaffed.

"Is Kenson openly associated with the Alliance?" Miranda asked to which Jane shook her head.

"No," she replied. "To my knowledge, she's completely rogue. Her only association with them is her friendship with Admiral Hackett. I could ask my..." She trailed off, leaving Miranda and Garrus to frown at her. They wouldn't have been able to guess that she was about to say that she could ask her mother. Jane felt a twinge of guilt and regret, then wondered why the woman was on her mind so much.

_Focus on the mission._

"I don't feel that her association with the Alliance is any of our concern," Garrus pointed out, filling the silence. "Nor is it a priority to hide the Alliance's involvement in this. I mean, yes, we'll _try_. But, Hackett's insistence to keep this all under wraps just tells me that they're busy with something illegal. And, that's not right either, it is a batarian system. The correct procedure would've been to involve the batarian authorities from the start."

Miranda blinked at Garrus. "When last have you tried to reason with a batarian?" she said coldly. "Such a negotiation would not have gone down well and then the scientists would've lost all opportunity to study this artefact."

Garrus shrugged. "I've never had any problems with batarians," he said. "They may be rough and angry, but so are krogan and at least you can have a decent conversation with the former..."

Shepard held up her one hand sharply, silencing them both before they could start a race discussion. She forgot sometimes that Garrus was a turian and that his species didn't have the same qualms with batarians as humans did. It meant that he was able to remain objective about the situation, but it also meant that he didn't fully grasp the delicacy of the nature of Kenson's extraction.

"Garrus is right," Jane said simply. "Our main concern is to get Kenson out of there. Whether we implicate the Alliance or not will be irrelevant because they'll have total deniability. I'm not with the Alliance anymore and it's relatively common knowledge that they don't acknowledge me. What's important is how we're going to do this with our available resources. I wanted to replenish our supplies here, but Sanders told me that regrettably, they're low on supplies themselves. Before we go to the Bahak System, we're going to have to stop somewhere. I want both of you to come up with viable plan of attack then. We can revise it and then decide what we're going to do."

Garrus didn't say anything but Miranda nodded. "Where do you wish us to go?" She queried, her tone still carrying a remnant of the ice she had directed at Garrus.

Shepard stumbled for a bit. "Illium," she said. "Or..."

"Omega," Garrus finished. "I would suggest that one. We're one jump away from Bahak then. It's half the journey covered."

Jane nodded, smiling at him as she did so. "Yes," she said. "Thank you Garrus. EDI?"

The AI's avatar immediately popped into existence, though Shepard didn't quite know why she bothered. EDI had been privileged to the whole conversation regardless.

"Yes Shepard," the AI said patiently, awaiting her command.

"Have Joker set a course for Omega," Jane said, watching Miranda as she copied the data Hackett had sent her. "Tell him it's a priority, I want to get there ASAP."

If the AI could've nodded, she would've. "Of course Shepard," she said simply, her tone never changing as she winked out of existence again. Jane looked at the spot that she had vacated for a second longer, then realised that Miranda had done the same. When their gazes met, her XO grimaced.

"I don't know why she bothers," she pointed out. "She can take us there herself if she pleases."

Jane knew this. There were a lot of things EDI could do now that she was unshackled.

She was about to dismiss the two people when the AI appeared again and Jane was amused to see that Miranda shifted uncomfortably, as if she felt guilty over what she had said.

"I would like to add something to this conversation," EDI said simply. "If I may speak freely Commander?"

_Very formal,_ Jane thought and nodded. "Anything that can help us will be welcomed EDI," she pointed out. "Go ahead."

The avatar seemed to glow brighter... _With pleasure perhaps? Eagerness? _

"I believe that there is another crew member that you should consult on the matter," the AI pointed out. "Someone who has intimate knowledge of the galaxy's system of incarceration."

Jane stared at her, her mind drawing a blank as to who it might be. Then, Garrus snorted and looked at her amused.

"Of course," he murmured. "Not a bad suggestion EDI, she's probably been in more than one prison."

Shepard felt silly suddenly and looked at EDI. "You mean Jack?" she queried and was almost sure the avatar nodded.

"I believe that she could offer some valuable insight," she pointed out, then paused. Before Jane could speak though, she spoke up again. "And, it would give her something with which to occupy her time."

Jane nodded thoughtfully and gave Miranda a quick look when the woman muttered something under her breath. "I'll inform her," she said. "You're right EDI, thank you for the suggestion. Did you send my message through to Liara?" Just before she had called in Miranda and Garrus, she had send a request to Liara to forward her the information that she has from her meeting with Kenson.

"Yes," EDI said. "She said to tell you that you can contact her as soon as you are able, she is available to discuss the meeting with you."

Jane nodded and was surprised to find that she was eager to see Liara again, even if it was just over a video conference call. Most of their interaction had been strictly business related but the edge that had been between them was gone. They had said all that they could say to each other and it was as if they had realised that their relationship was so ruined that it couldn't get any worse.

"I'll call her first," she said. "Thank you EDI." She turned back to Miranda and Garrus. "Thank you for your input, needless to say, I'd appreciate it if we can keep this to ourselves. I'll tell Jack but I don't want you to discuss this with any of the other crew."

They both nodded and Garrus was the first to leave. Miranda however lingered, her body language stiff and uncertain.

"Jane," she said finally, the usage of her name telling Shepard that she was going to speak openly. "Something about this makes me uncomfortable. I'm not saying we shouldn't go – I meant what I said back there. But I do think we need to be extra cautious in how we plan this. If only for your sake."

Jane nodded, appreciating Miranda's concern. She hadn't told Garrus or Miranda that Hackett had meant for her to go in alone, knowing that his clear distrust of her people would put them both on edge. She needed them to give all they had to make this work.

"If all goes well this should be a mission like all the others," Jane said, trying to put her XO at ease. "Go think on your strategy, I'm going to call Liara and then speak to Jack."

Despite her attempt to sooth Miranda's mood, her XO's eyes became darker.

"Be careful of her," she said simply and turned to leave. "Jack's in a strange mood."

Jane nodded, but smiled genuinely this time.

"When isn't she?"

* * *

**Omega was... interesting.** Walking with her one arm linked with Asura, Abby looked around the new district, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells that she had come to associate with the asteroid. It was about as different from her old life as it could come. Where she had lived and practiced in the countryside of Wales she was now in a constructed settlement where there was no real time, no real daylight and no clear rules as to how you had to behave. Aria's policy, as far as Abby understood, was more business related than people as the de facto ruler of Omega assumed that people could police themselves. The asari didn't care who stole from whom, but then again, she also didn't care who got killed in the process. Abby suspected that a couple of decades ago, Omega must've been a very unstable place to live in, with gangs and thieves coming at odds with business owners and traders. Both parties could arm themselves with anything they fancied so confrontations must've been bloody and pointless. What came from that was a type of self-regulation. Small, petty crimes were mostly non-violent and the bigger crimes were regulated by whichever gangs controlled a district. The mercenaries had mapped Omega to a loose border of territories in which they ran their operations. They also kept that section relatively crime free, if only to ensure that their own operations weren't disturbed. The downside of that was that they asked everybody a small measure of _protection_ money, a concept Mordin was completely against.

Nobody had approached Abby with her new veterinary clinic but Asura had said the moment someone did, she had to contact her immediately. The Ardat Yakshi handled the administrative side to their stay, something Abby felt both grateful and guilty over at the same time. She had known from the beginning that there was very little that she could bring to their 'arrangement'. She had had no money nor would she have any till the clinic got itself up and running. From experience, she knew that it could take up to five years for a business to become truly successful. She had received some money from an anonymous source which she suspected came from Liara's Shadow Broker fund and that had been a blessing she didn't feel guilty over receiving. She felt that she had paid her dues above and beyond the call of duty to _that_ facility. She was very careful with the credits and had used Mordin to help her put it up in a proper account which she'd be able to use on most of the major planets such as Illium, Thessia, the Citadel and even Earth.

It made her feel more secure, knowing that she had that and she hoped that she'd one day get the chance to at least travel to Earth as she was very curious to what it looked like. That was to say, if the reapers didn't come and destroy it first.

"Why do you think the salarian is so insistent on watching us meld?" Asura asked, dragging Abby out of her thoughts. She blinked at the asari and then sighed, shrugging as she did so.

"I don't know," she said and turned to pay attention to her surroundings for the first time. They were in a plaza of some sort, the lighting in the place giving the impression that it was just past sunset though this was what Omega looked like all the time. It bothered Abby a little as she missed natural light but, as there was nothing she could do about it, she chose not to dwell on it. "I guess he's just curious." She thought about the game and what she remembered from Mordin's comments on Shepard's love interests. "Or he's just got a fetish."

Asura smirked at her, but didn't comment though Abby felt her arm relax as the asari touched the inside of her forearm and then took her hand. The motion, so subtle, was inviting. Abby felt herself blush and looked away, taking a deep breath in order to still her rising excitement. She could not control how Asura made her body feel, but she could control whether or not she chose to act on it.

"In all honesty," Abby continued, still not looking at Asura. "I know why he wants to do it. As I said, he's curious and he wants to understand." She sighed. "And, I guess we can't deny that he's helped. Thanks to that last medication that he gave me, I don't walk around with a migraine for three days after..." She trailed off and sighed, realising that it was a touchy subject for Asura. "He wants to help. He just doesn't always have the... correct approach."

Asura was silent, her expression dark as she considered Abby's words. Finally, she sighed and let go of her hand, stepping back a little, which Abby took as a negative sign.

"Do you think we'd gain some advantage to have him sit in?" The asari asked, her tone neutral. "Do you think it can... Help with understanding..." She trailed off and grimaced, not saying anything else but Abby knew what she wanted to say.

_The pain._

Abby shook her head and smiled, trying hard not to let Asura's depression affect her own mood. Something else that she had realised was that the more they melded, the more _aware_ she became of Asura's emotions and it was hard sometimes not to let it affect her. "No," she said. "No and I don't think that it's a problem Asura." She spoke honestly. "I've told this to you before. It happens as it happens." Stepping closer to the asari, she took her hand again.

"I am happy," she said. "And I truly hope that you are as well. Because if you're not, then _that's_ something we need to work on." There was a burst of warmth inside her chest as she met Asura's gaze and she could tell that the asari was going to smile before she actually did so.

Asura's smile was slow to come but when it did, it made the warmth in Abby's chest explode to a white heat which she could barely contain.

"I am happy with you Abby," Asura said simply and took her hand, drawing her closer again. "Very happy. Frightened for your sake, sometimes. But happy."

Abby felt Asura draw her closer still as the heat in her chest began to spread. Unbidden, she found herself stepping right up to her and, regardless of whether they were in public or not, rise to her toes to kiss her. Before she did so though, someone caught her gaze and she turned quickly, blinking at the crowd. As she did so, a batarian knocked into them, making her lose sight of the person she was trying to get a look at.

"Human cunt," the batarian barked but kept on moving quickly falling away into the crowd. Asura pushed Abby away and made to go after him but the vet quickly drew her back.

"Don't," she said quickly. "It's not worth it Asura." It wasn't her first encounter with batarian animosity and Abby had to confess that although she had tried very hard to keep an open mind, she was starting to dislike the batarians as much as the other humans did.

Asura stared after the batarian for a second or two longer, her eyes dark and fierce. Then, she visibly took a hold of herself and turned back to Abby, the remnant of her need for violence chilling the vet. The woman quickly took Asura's hand in both of hers and brought it to her lips, kissing it gently.

"Let it go Asura," she said and glanced in the direction of the crowd again but unable to see the person again. "Let's go back to the clinic."

Asura seemed to pull herself together and followed Abby's gaze. "Who did you see?"

Abby frowned, but was grateful for the change of subject. "Mess Sergeant Gardner," she said and looked around one last time. "He ah... he was the cook onboard the Normandy." She sighed and shrugged. "But ah... I don't think that it was him. He's probably still on the Normandy."

* * *

**When the image appeared in front of her it once again dawned on Dr. Liara T'soni that humans aged a lot faster than asari did and it showed in Commander Jane Shepard's face.** Every time she spoke to her, it felt as if there were more lines there, more worries. She wondered how much of those lines were alcohol related and pushed the thought away. For the time being, it was none of her business. The unspoken agreement between her and Jane was that they'd keep their distance for the time being. Jane had an open invitation to visit her and contact her on business related matters but – that was about as far as their conversations went. Liara believed that, if they could make that work, then their friendship would follow once again.

Still, in a way it hurt her to see Jane so _tired._

It didn't stop the Commander from smiling at her, that small professional smile that had both distance and intimacy in it. Humans were such a paradox.

"It's good to see you Shepard," Liara said as her systems told her the line was secure. "You..." She changed what she wanted to say and shifted embarrassed. She had wanted to comment that Jane looked tired but she felt that it would've been holding with their unspoken agreement.

"I got your message."

Jane smiled at her, genuinely this time with a spark of amusement in her emerald eyes. Regardless of their current feelings towards each other, Liara still felt that Jane was among the most beautiful creatures she had ever seen. No one had ever made such an impression on her as the Commander had.

"And I yours," Jane said. "I was surprised to hear that you've met with Dr. Amanda Kenson. The galaxy's getting smaller."

Liara nodded, calling up her own information on a terminal before her. Typing a few commands into her omni-tool, she was able to project it so that it would appear above her shoulder on Jane's side. She saw the commander's gaze shift immediately.

"This is a transcript of the meeting that we had had," she said. "This was... About a month or two after I opened up an office in Illium. As you can see, she was very interested in my knowledge of the Protheans, both that which I accumulated before Saren's attack and that which we learned on Illos." She could not keep the regret from her voice. Vigil had taught her that all her life's research had been a waste. She had said as much to Kenson, but the woman had taken all of her information regardless.

At a price of course. Information Brokers never gave data out for free.

"What's this about..." Jane squinted at the data and motioned to something Liara couldn't see. "Dust and the Mass Relays?"

Liara blinked at her. "That's the data that's made her famous," she pointed out. "Dr. Kenson proved by examining dust around the Mass Relays that their existence predated the protheans. It made galactic news..." She wanted to ask how Jane could've missed it but then remembered that it had been during her time with Cerberus. "The scientific communities that accept her findings believe that it's the most important discovery of our lifetime. There are some who still deny it of course, despite the proof. It's... too close to admitting that you're right. It's proof in fact." She wanted to smile, but saw that there was a dark look in Jane's eyes.

"I have to speak to her," Jane said, more to herself than to Liara. "I... can't believe that this is the first time that I've heard of it. What was the Council's reaction to this discovery?"

Liara shrugged and for the first time wondered what it must've felt like to wake up and find that two years had passed. Knowledge that other people took for a given was... New. And of course, so were people. You expected them to be one way, not realising that they had two years of experience on you...

"Liara?"

Jane's voice pulled her out of her tangent. Liara blushed, realising where her thoughts had gone and tried to remember the last thing Shepard had asked her.

"They didn't release a formal statement," she pointed out. "It's hard to say. It might be worth taking the information to them again. Why are you so interested in Kenson? I did a source check on her and according to my data she was last seen in Omega. She and some people associated with her were purchasing some pricey material. Some of the power modules they purchased could power up a space station."

She saw Jane hesitate for a second but then she carried on.

"It seems that she was taken prisoner by some batarians," Jane pointed out. "The Alliance..." She shook her head and corrected herself. "Admiral Hackett asked me to look into it. This is not an Alliance job. We're on our way to Omega as we speak. We'll resupply and then go on to the Bahak system. This is... classified Liara. Hackett had requested that I tell no one."

Liara didn't visibly react to the news, but it troubled her. "Bahak is a batarian system," she said. "One of their main systems actually. It's risky to run an Alliance operation there. Why was she taken prisoner?"

Shepard grimaced and shook her head. "Terrorism charges," she said. "It's tricky. Hackett believes it's false. I'll see for myself when I get there."

Glancing at one of the information packages that she had, Liara threw a list up onto the screen for Shepard as well. "That material is suspicious," she pointed out. "I can understand why there would be a... misunderstanding if she's found with some of these listed. I'm going to send you everything that I have on her. And Aratoht." She added the latter as an afterthought, watching Jane's features for any reaction but the woman simply nodded. For a moment they stood in silence as everything that could've been said about the matter was complete.

Liara took a deep breath, ready to ask Jane whether she was alright but Jane looked as if she wanted to start speaking at exactly the same moment. Embarrassed because she interrupted her, Liara motioned to Jane to continue but the woman shook her head.

"No, it's ah... nothing," Jane said. "Thank you Liara. I have to go speak to Jack." She paused. "Thank you again. For the information. I appreciate it." She meant it, her tone sincere.

Liara smiled at her but felt her heart ache without explanation. It had nothing to do with their broken friendship but it was something in Jane's eyes and pulled at her.

"I have to go Liara," Jane said again when she didn't reply. "Thank you for your time."

Liara opened her mouth to speak, but her first words were swallowed by her own emotion. So, she nodded simply and manage to get a decent sentence strung together before Jane shut the connection down completely.

"Be safe Jane," she said. "And... Keep me up to date. I can... help you."

The Commander nodded and turned off the connection without another word, leaving Liara to stare at the darkness of her console. The ache that she felt didn't leave her and the room felt empty as she turned around to get herself something drink in hope that it would ease away the tight sensation in her chest. It was only when she returned to her workstation and the thought crossed her mind that the Hagalaz station seemed emptier now that Feron was out on a mission - that it dawned on her what she had felt from Jane.

It was painfully simple.

Jane was lonely.

* * *

**Having sat in the hall meditating for hours, Samara was calm when she finally stepped back out into the sunlight.** She knew that it would be some time before she felt as if she had her centre back, but the very fact that she had managed to meditate filled her with hope that someday, she might be _all right_ again. She was about to go back to her assigned quarters when the same youth who had come to collect her for the conclave meeting came running towards her in a manner quite unbefitting a justicar. Samara didn't have the heart to reprimand her, but waited calmly for the highly excitable maiden to join her.

"Justicar," she breathed and bowed the necessary depth to show the proper respect. "I... I have something for you. It was said to be urgent."

Frowning, immediately forgiving the asari her haste Samara fixed her with a stern look. "What is it child?" she queried, looking around to see if there were any other messengers being dispatched.

_The Reapers?_

The asari handed her a data pad, then stepped back to give her privacy.

Samara stared at it, first uncomprehending, then with cold shock. Before she knew what was happening, she took a step back and hugged the data pad to her chest, looking at the messenger.

"When did this come in?" She queried. "Who send it?"

The messenger grimaced and shook her head. "The sisters say it's anonymous, there's no way of telling." She hesitated, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Is it bad news Justicar?"

Samara took another step back, still hugging the message. _Who? Who had send this? Who?_

"No," she said. "No, I have to go." She hated herself, but she had to know. "Tell me child, has Phora left yet?"

The maiden frowned, considering her words.

"No Justicar," she said eventually. "No, she hasn't."

Samara nodded and turned around without another word, the calm of her meditation already forgotten. She could not make herself let go of the data pad, the words on it haunting her all the way to her quarters.

_Jane Shepard has left for Omega. She'll be there in a few hours._

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: My apologies for the long delay, work has been insane and I derailed myself a little. Hopefully I'm back on track. Also, I added (belated last time) a paragraph to Chapter 4. There were a few people who missed it, I would request that you go back and read it. Thank you. **_

**Chapter 05: Omega**

"**I came here a month ago." **

Samara looked at Phora, but did not comment immediately, thinking that it was roughly the time that she had left Jane and Omega. It was very rare that a Justicar travelled outside of asari space and she wondered what Aria T'loak thought of two entering her home almost directly after each other.

_It's a sign perhaps,_ Samara thought as she wove through the crowds, _that our world is changing. Is that not how it is in cultures? Humans speak of the turbulent times before the apocalypse... _

She snorted, reminding herself that from what she had learned of humans, they liked to predict their end quite regularly. It was why a lot of people didn't take Jane seriously because she was just _one of those._

_But she isn't,_ Samara thought. _Jane is right. And nobody wants to believe her._

She found that Phora was looking at her and realised that she had lost half of the conversation. She cleared her throat and gave the asari an apologetic look.

"I apologise for my lapse of concentration," Samara said. "Would you mind repeating yourself?"

Phora gave her an amused look and shook her head. "It wasn't important," she pointed out. "Tell me, why is it that you came to Omega again?"

Samara considered her answer carefully as she pushed through the crowd. In Illium, with its high concentration of asari, she hardly had to stand for any bumping and pushing. Here, things were a little bit different and even if there were asari in the crowd, they looked at the two of them with cautious distain rather than reference. Samara ignored their looks but she could tell that Phora, with a ruthlessness that made her uneasy made a point of meeting each and every one's gaze.

"It could be any one of them." Samara had not even answered her question when Phora spoke up again, her voice low with anticipation. "Any of them."

Samara knew what she meant and choose to ignore the statement. She had learned that you cannot look at life like that, you cannot assume that everybody that you meet is guilty. Because, they _were_. But you could not kill everybody. You chose your battles, stopped the most heinous of crimes and punished those who would escape justice within the legal system of the asari home worlds.

Omega was a gray area, because there were a lot of criminals there, of all species.

Justicars didn't like gray.

"So," Phora pushed again. "Why are you here Samara?"

She had had a long time to think about that question, but Samara could still no come up with the appropriate answer. Finally she sighed and shrugged, realising that she was going to have to break away from Phora.

"Unfinished business," she said simply. "There's someone here I should see."

* * *

**It was interesting, but she could see the difference immediately.** After some delay, in which Jane had gotten EDI to tell the vet that she was at the door, Dr. Abigail Gable opened it, still in the process of slipping into a robe to cover her sleepwear. Her hair, longer than Jane remembered, was still tussled from sleep and she made a half-hearted attempt to smooth it down before she even finished pulling on the robe. She gave up when she saw Jane, her features immediately spreading into a brilliant smile. She made as if to hug the commander, but hesitated, pulling back a little as if she wasn't sure whether she was allowed to or not. It was only when Jane smiled at her and started to stretch out her own arm that the vet grinned and stepped forward again.

"Good heavens Jane," she drawled in her welsh accent. "What are you doing here?" Her grip was stronger, _much_ stronger than it had been when Jane last saw her.

Jane didn't answer immediately, but took comfort in the physical contact. As she rubbed her one hand over Abby's back she was pleasantly surprised to find that she could not feel as many bones as she did the last time and when she pulled back again and studied Abby's face, she could tell immediately that the vet had picked up weight.

As much as it pained Jane to admit it, she looked good.

Healthy.

Abby was still grinning when they stepped away from the hug and her one hand remained on Jane's wrist, its grip unyielding and steady without so much as a hint to its previous trembling. Jane looked at it and then up at Abby's face, meeting her bright dark eyes with a smile.

"We need to resupply," she said. "And, the popular consent was that we come to Omega to do so. Hello Abby."

The vet laughed and pulled her into the apartment. "Hello Jane," she said. "You should've let me know in advance! This is such a surprise. A pleasant one, mind you, but I did not expect to see you here. I'd have prepared..."

Jane waved her to silence, looking around the spacious apartment. The decor immediately reminded her of the house on Tetra, with the earthen undertones broken by splashes of red. It was warm, homely and it immediately made her think of Asura.

As if summoned by her thoughts, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and saw the asari step out of corridor on the other side of the room that probably lead to the bedrooms. She looked less rested than Abby, her features darker and more reserved. Jane found her mood drop a little because she had hoped that she would not see the Ardat Yakshi.

"It was a very last minute decision," she said. "That's why I couldn't let you know sooner. We're also on a very tight schedule so... I apologise for disturbing you this early." She looked at Asura. "Good morning Asura."

The asari shifted, her gaze moving to Abby's before she smiled politely and turned back to Jane. "Commander," she said simply and moved back. "I'll leave you two to talk."

If her departure left an awkward feeling in the air, Abby soon dispelled it by turning on the kettle.

"It's no bother at all Jane," she said with a laugh. "You are more than welcome to disturb me any time of the day. And let's be honest, it's never day here on Omega. It's such a pleasure to see you. I really didn't expect this but it's good..." She hesitated, embarrassed. "I've missed you."

Jane forced herself to stop thinking about the Ardat Yakshi and smiled at Abby.

"We've missed you too Abby," she said and meant it. "The Normandy's become very empty. Dr. Chakwas was moaning about the fact that she's being forced to drink on her own. Or with me."

Abby barked a laugh and set out three cups as the kettle started boiling. "She likes it that way," she pointed out. "And I never drank with her and only did it once with you and I'm still regretting it. How do you like your coffee?" She reached for a container and hesitated.

Jane's gaze once again moved to her hands, their steadiness fascinating. Abby noticed where her attention was and smiled patiently, waiting for her answer. Embarrassed suddenly, Jane made a quick motion with her hand.

"Black, no sugar," she said. "But I'm not fussy. Whichever way you serve it is fine. You look well Abby, I'm sorry but I can't help but notice."

Abby smiled amused as she finished preparing the drink. "I feel well," she confessed. "I... Things have been going well Jane." She picked up the one cup and gave the commander and embarrassed smile. "I'm just going to give this to Asura." She left quickly, her steps smooth and without hesitation. A part of Jane ached as she watched her, the same part that had been aching ever since she said goodbye to the vet in Hagalaz. Abby had made a decision about her own life which Jane would not have made for her, saying that it was for the best. Although Jane knew that a month wasn't enough time to make any kind of judgements, she could see that Abby _was_ better. And, as much as she hated to admit it, even Liara was better off.

The truth that she had learned in the past month was that she didn't always know what was best for the people she loved, as much as she wished that she did.

Abby returned to the room and gave her an odd look, as if she could read the train of her dark thoughts. Jane chose to hide it with embarrassment and motioned to the bedroom.

"I didn't mean to wake her too," she pointed out. "That's why I told EDI to call you up privately..."

Abby started blushing immediately as she shifted awkwardly and motioned to them to move to the living room, away from the bedroom hallway.

"We ah..." She laughed pleasantly and rubbed her nose. "She heard it Jane."

It took the commander only a second to realise what she meant and this time it was her turn to blush. She quickly hid it by taking a sip of the coffee and looking the other way.

"I'm... sorry," was all she could think of to say, to which Abby laughed again, her face becoming redder.

"It... I mean... yes. We share a bed but we don't... _share_ a bed Jane. It just ah... Worked out... Can we change the subject?"

Nothing would've pleased Jane more.

"Please," she said. "I beg you."

Abby chuckled and took a deep breath, her cheeks still coloured. They were silent for a moment, each sipping their coffee as they tried to find a conversation which was relatively comfortable.

"How has everybody been?" Abby asked finally. "Miranda? Dr. Chakwas? Kelly?"

Grateful that she could speak of other people instead of herself, Jane happily informed Abby of her crew member's status, briefly telling her what had happened in the past month. Abby listened carefully, her face becoming more sombre and her coffee remaining largely untouched. Jane didn't know what possessed her, but found she herself talking about the Project Overlord mission, telling Abby of how they had had to try and stop the planet's rogue AI, which turned out to be an innocent, tortured man. There was something in Abby's gaze as she shifted in the chair and put the cup down, her gaze briefly travelling to the bedroom before she returned her attention to Jane.

"The lad," she said quietly. "Did you help him?"

Jane nodded, glancing at the time as she did so. She nearly had to go.

"Yes," she said. "I took him to Grissom Academy. They know how to deal with special cases and David, David is very special. I think what saddened me at the school was knowing that if Jack had ended up there when she was younger she'd have been much better off."

She could tell immediately that something in what she had said upset Abby because the vet actually flinched and looked away. There was an awkward silence but Jane didn't say anything, giving Abby the chance to order her own thoughts. She had a feeling that whatever the vet was going to address next was going to be important.

"How _is_ Jack?" Abby asked finally, not looking at Jane which struck her as odd.

Jane had to consider her answer carefully, thinking about how Jack had acted at Grissom Academy. The truth of the matter was that she had gotten very far removed from that particular crew member of hers. Where the others still reached out to her, like going through the trouble to make an appointment with her regardless of whether she requested it Jack just... remained in the background.

Jane had always consoled herself by saying that if anything serious bothered the biotic Kelly would alert her, but there was no telling if Jack spoke to the yeoman as well. Troubled suddenly, she shrugged.

"Jack's been... you know Jack," she pointed out. "Bad tempered. I think... she misses you. She's been very distant since you left." Her words clearly pained Abby and the dark haired woman looked away towards one of the windows showing the murky line of Omega's different levels. Intrigued suddenly, feeling as if she had missed something, Jane sat forward a little. "I would've thought that she'd keep in contact with you," she pointed out. "She likes you Abby."

Squirming in her seat, Abby took a deep breath and shrugged, her features shifting to its professional calm. Jane had seen that look in Dr. Chakwas's eyes a lot and on Abby's in the time that she worked on Feron in the Hagalaz infirmary. Whatever she was thinking, she wasn't prepared to show Jane what it was.

"As you say Jane," she said carefully. "Jack's well... Jack. I don't think she approved of my decision to come with Asura. I respect her opinion, I know why all of you would object but... Well. You know Jack."

Jane could do nothing but frown at Abby, watching how she moved with discomfort. She _knew_ Jack and it began to dawn on her that the ex-convict might not have known how to express her displeasure about Abby's decision reasonably. She made to ask about it, but her omnitool beeped for her attention. She considered for a split second ignoring it and pressing Abby for a better explanation as to what she meant, but her sense of duty and urgency over the mission that she was about to embark on took over. Giving the other woman an apologetic look, she quickly read the message, her heart becoming heavier when she did.

"Abby..." She said and glanced up at the vet's concerned features. "I have to go. We're almost ready to leave and Miranda wants to speak to me."

The vet grimaced, but stood up immediately. "Is there something wrong?" She queried. "Did you come here to... Where are you going Jane?"

The Commander hesitated for a second, pushing herself to her feet in a slower motion, her thoughts of Jack forgotten. "We have... I was given a mission by an old friend," she pointed out. "That's why we came here to restock; we need to go to the Ba'hak system which is a close jump from Omega."

Abby frowned, the name clearly unfamiliar as she mouthed it. Jane watched as the vet shivered and came closer to her suddenly, her dark gaze searching. "Is it a dangerous mission?" she queried. "What do you need to do there?"

For a second she considered telling Abby, but then Jane realised that regardless of her trust in the vet, she didn't trust the asari the vet shared her bed with.

"It's nothing serious," she said with a small smile, touched by Abby's clear concern. "Just a simple extraction mission. When we're done, I'll come back here and we can talk. For longer. I'm sure Dr. Chakwas would also appreciate a chance to visit with you again."

Abby nodded, but her features did not soften.

"Jane, be careful," she said as she took the cup from Jane's hands and placed it on a coffee table. "I... Just, take care of yourself." She sighed and to Jane's surprise, reached out and took her hand. "You look tired Jane. You said that I look better but you... You don't look well at all."

Jane had to blink at the woman's words and gave her a curious look. "Abby I feel fine," she pointed out. "Really."

The vet made to speak then paused, searching for the right words. She had never been one to easily speak her mind and had confessed to Jane more than once that she was better with animals than people in general.

"You just look tired Jane," she said finally. "I know you and... I can see... You need a holiday."

_Why?_ Jane thought secretly. _So that I have more time to think? No._

"I'll see to it when we get back from Aratoth," she said, then immediately cursed herself for the slip but Abby didn't seem to notice as her hand tightened in Jane's. To the commander's surprise, the woman pulled her into a hug again, holding onto her with what was probably all her strength.

"Come back here," she said. "Or, I'll come to the Normandy. But, come back Jane. And, don't do something so dangerous that... you know. You don't come back." She finished the last with a touch of embarrassment in her voice.

Jane dismissed it, but returned Abby's hug. "Even if I die," she said lightly. "Miranda can just bring me back. Thank you for your concern Abby. I'll see you again." She pulled back and smiled at the vet but the dark haired woman didn't seem to find the joke funny. Feeling guilty suddenly, Jane squeezed her shoulder.

"Abby, I didn't come here to upset you, I just wanted to say hi."

Visibly shaking herself, Abby smiled as they headed for the door but it had that same professional distance in it that she had had when she spoke about Jack. "Of course Jane," she said. "And, it was good to see you. You are always welcome here. You can tell Dr. Chakwas and... and everybody else, they are welcome here."

Jane nodded, looking around to see whether Asura too would come out to see her off but the Ardat Yakshi did not make another appearance. She looked around the apartment one last time, told herself that Abby was better off and gave the vet a smile.

"I'll see you around Dr. Gable," she said with a small smile. "And, I'm happy for you. Things look as if they've sorted themselves out."

Abby smiled at her and waved it off. "We'll talk when you come back Commander. Have you seen Mordin or should I give him your regards?"

Jane smiled at the ease that Abby had said the salarian's name and was once again relieved that she had sent him along to help the woman get settled in Omega. "Give him my regards," she said. "You know salarians, they hardly expect gestures that they might see as wasting their time. And," she added. "He might just think I'm coming onto him again."

It was a private joke but Abby smiled as if she knew exactly to which conversation Jane was referring to. "That he might," she agreed. "I'll see you Jane. Take care."

Marvelling at the receptiveness of the vet and once again taken by how well she seemed to know her, Jane left her standing in the doorway of the apartment that she shared with a murderer and went back to the Normandy discuss the release of a terrorist.

* * *

**Abby watched Jane leave, her heart twisted with an anxiety she could not shake. **

_Project Overlord,_ she thought as she stood in the doorway. _She spoke of Project Overlord. I played that. Right in the beginning. Because I didn't understand that it's... supposed to come later._

She shuddered and stepped out of the apartment for a moment to close the door, not wanting Asura to see her distress. It was easy to _forget_ where she came from, to tell herself that her life before had not existed. Or rather, to ignore... the fact that she was _here._ In this world that didn't exist. She had accepted it, just as she had accepted that if she was to live, she would have to remain close to Asura for the rest of her life.

But, to hear about events that she had _lived_ through, to know the outcome of that mission...

_What if I am an experiment?_ She thought with a cold pit in her stomach. _What if Aria's right? What if that was some sort of premonition... _She dismissed it out of hand immediately. She had not known that Liara would become the Shadow Broker. Nor had she 'seen' Asura. It was all just...

_Something I don't want to think about._

She turned back to the door, but found herself looking in the direction that Jane had gone one last time. _Ba'hak?_ She thought and tried to place the name in her memory. _Aratoth?_ Something from the game? _No._ She didn't recognize the names. But, something told her that they were important and that Jane was going to have to be extra careful.

_I should send a message to Dr. Chakwas,_ she thought as she turned back to the door. _Just... tell her..._ Her shoulders itched and she shuddered, her body jerking uncontrollably. It took her a split second to evaluate the movement and decide that it was her unease, not her disease that lay at the start of it. She swallowed and pulled her robe around her, looking around as she did so to find the source of the itch. It felt as if someone was watching her.

She looked around the hallway, then in the direction that Jane had gone and then... her heart froze and she stared.

The person made no attempt to hide this time, though a second ago there had been no one in the corridor. Abby's mouth was completely dry as she met the person's gaze and it took her a moment or two to decide that she should move forward.

_Asura. I have to move away from the door. And hope that she doesn't come out..._

"Samara," she whispered softly and took a careful step in the direction of the Justicar. "S...Samara, what are you doing here?"

The Justicar didn't speak immediately, but turned her gaze away from Abby's to look in the direction that Jane had gone. For a moment, Abby envisioned what would happen if Jane decided to come back, what she would do... What Samara would do...

"Where is she going Dr. Gable?"

Samara didn't have to be specific.

Abby found herself looking at her door, praying that Asura won't come out, before she looked to Samara. "Back to the Normandy," she pointed out. "Ah... Samara. You... What are you doing here?"

The Justicar turned her full attention on Abby and it was frightening. Her silence was too long, too... measured.

"I'm not here for the Ardat Yakshi if that is what you are worried about Dr. Gable," Samara said finally. "Unless she's killed again..."

_On Hagalaz, she killed many... But Jane did too..._

"No," Abby said, her mouth dry. "Not... Not here. Not on Omega. We're good. The two of us. She doesn't need... She's alright Samara. She's good." _Fear. Asura. Please don't come out. _

To her surprise, the Justicar simply nodded, breaking away her gaze from Abby to where Jane had gone. The silence around them was suffocating. Abby had to take two quick breaths before she gathered up the courage to speak again, her hand on the door as if she could hold it closed with mere thought. She could not think of one thing to say to the Justicar but luckily, it was Samara who filled the silence first.

"Is she alright Abigail? Jane?"

The uncertainty she heard in Samara's voice gave her the courage that she needed to speak and she shook her stupor off of herself, pulling her robe around her as she did.

"No Samara," she said simply. "She's not."

The Justicar's gaze was like a chasm when she turned her attention back to her. "Why?" she breathed, her fear and worry palatable.

Abby felt angry suddenly and took a step forward. "Because of you Samara," she pointed out. "You left her like that. You just... You just left. She's... Jane's lonely. And... And I can't do anything about it. No... Nobody on the Normandy can, except you. You... You... You reached out to her and then... Then you left." She was falling over her words but she didn't care, remembering how little they had seen of the commander after Samara had gone. How the Justicar had just stepped off of the Normandy and disappeared into the wide expanse of the galaxy. She was about to add how hard it had been for the commander to accept her absence when Samara turned a very cold look to her.

"You and your association are partly to blame for that Dr. Gable," she pointed out. "Don't throw all of that at my feet. I turned my back on my code for you. Remember that."

Abby shivered, her body jerking again. _Damn it..._

"Because Jane asked you to," she said, her mouth dry. "I know Samara." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, too afraid to look at the asari again. "Just... If you want to know how she is Samara, go to her. Ask her. See her again. Is that why you're here? To speak to her? What are you doing here?"

Samara frowned and for a moment Abby didn't think that she'd answer but then the justicar sighed and shook her head. "I received a message," she said softly. "Saying that Jane would be here. Do you know who send it Dr. Gable? Was it you?"

Abby blinked and dared a glance in the asari's direction. "No," she said quietly. "No, I didn't know Jane was coming till now. I didn't receive any warning. Maybe... maybe it was EDI." _How? She's a machine._

Samara didn't look as if she wanted to believe it either and nodded simply, turning to go. Abby, feeling her anxiety over Jane's departure slowly overshadowing her shock at seeing Samara again, took a step forward. "How long were you... following her?" she queried carefully, not sure if she'd be privileged to the answer.

To her surprise though, Samara simply nodded, saying nothing. Abby looked at her, daring herself to see more than just the Justicar, daring herself to think of the woman as Jane's _lover._ As the commander's equal. Her heart gave a start and she looked to in the direction Jane had gone again.

"Samara, Jane..." She had to order her thoughts, think about what she was about to say. "Samara, Jane's going on a mission when she leaves Omega. I... I think it's going to be dangerous."

Samara, who looked as if she had been about to turn around, paused and looked at her, saying nothing. Abby didn't know what else to tell her. _Did her code even cover this?_ They looked at each other for the longest time until Abby felt her concern turn towards Asura again. _She must be wondering where I am..._ Deciding that she could not stay in the hallway any longer and not really wanting to, she dropped her head and looked at the door.

"I have to get dressed," she said quietly. "I have a patient that I have to go and... look at. A varren." She took a steadying breath, seeing that Samara too must've decided to go. "Jane's going to Ba'hak. And some place called Aratoth. She needs you Samara. More I think than your code does." When the Justicar's eyes turned cold again, Abby grimaced and dropped her gaze completely. "I'll... see you around." She did not wait to see Samara's reaction, did not want to know if the Justicar would follow Jane and give her aid. She opened up the door to the apartment and stepped inside, right into the awaiting arms of Asura who was standing in front of the door, her face ashen with fear.

Abby didn't know how, but she must've known that Samara was right outside. She didn't care, she didn't care about _anything_ but the feeling of Asura's arms around her, holding her tightly, her one hand travelling to Abby's hair and clutching it, pressing her against her chest.

When Abby finally worked enough moisture back to her mouth to speak, she did not waste her words but said simply:

"She's not here for you."

_To Be Continued..._


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN: This was severely delayed by the Citadel dlc. My apologies. And yes. I know. I saw. ;) Also, I named Chakwas Catherine before Bioware actually bothered to give her her own name. For the sake of continuity, I'm going to stick with that. I'll be honest and say I don't have the time to go back and correct every place its wrong. :) I'll get round to it eventually. **_

**Chapter 06: Friendship.**

**She had gone to Jack before they left for Omega to tell her of what they planned to do but the young woman, with a series of files spread around her, had not seemed interested in what she had to say about their mission. **She had told Jane that she was 'busy with something' and although she had not quite told her to leave, the hint had been there. Knowing that Jack had studied almost every file they had on Cerberus, Jane couldn't begin to imagine what she was reading about.

And, Jack didn't want to share.

Jane had not bothered to go to her before she went to Omega, thinking that Jack would seek out the vet on her own but after her chat with Abby she wasn't so sure.

She was surprised to find Jack in the briefing room when she finally came onto the Normandy, her shoulders itching with the air of Omega, where she always somehow felt as if she was being watched. The biotic didn't look at her, but was standing in the corner furthest away from Miranda, her arms crossed over her chest. Surprisingly, she was wearing a plain black shirt with her cargo pants which showed the least skin Jane had seen on her to date.

She decided not to comment on the biotic's presence, but focused instead on Miranda who had been the one to summon her back to the Normandy. The woman's eyes were as cold and calculated as ever, but Jane could tell that Jack's presence made her uneasy.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your visit Commander," Miranda said, getting straight to the point. "But you said we should call you the moment we have something."

Jane nodded, wondering where Garrus was and whether he had abandoned this venture. _Or,_ she thought with a private smile. _Could be he just waited for me to arrive so that he didn't have to wait with these two._

"There's no problem," she said. "It was only meant to be a short visit anyway. What do you have?"

Miranda glanced at Jack and then motioned to the door. "We're just waiting for Garrus to join us," she said. "Then we can talk. I don't want to repeat anything." Her voice had an edge to it, which made Jane wonder if she had Jack had had words or whether it was just the biotic's presence in general. "Tell me Shepard, how's Dr. Gable?"

Jane would've answered quickly but then she felt Jack _stiffen._ She sensed it then saw the way her whole body tightened. Jack's face was turned towards her with anticipation, but she had tightened her arms around her chest. _Angry?_ _No... Afraid._ Jane quickly looked away from her before Jack noticed that the pause was too long and glanced at Miranda, though she kept her attention on the little biotic.

"She's well," she said and could not keep the regret from her voice. "Very well. She's going to open her practice this week it seems. They are just getting the final details sorted." She glanced at Jack. "As I understand it, we all have an open invitation to come and visit her. She enquired about all of you."

Miranda smiled briefly, clearly pleased with the news but Jack's shoulders tightened even further and she looked away from Shepard abruptly, appearing as if she wanted to move towards the door. But, it opened to reveal Garrus so she was forced to remain where she was.

_Something did happen between her and Abby,_ Shepard thought as she smiled at the turian who looked relieved to see her. _I'm going to have to address it._ She felt a moment's shame, wondering how she could've missed it and let it stew for so long.

_What else have I missed as I wallowed in self pity?_

She began to feel angry with herself and shook the feeling away, giving Garrus a nod as he joined her by the table. "I take it you have both come to agree with a plan of attack," she pointed out. "What can you tell me?"

Garrus and Miranda shared a look and then Garrus looked at Jack.

"The three of us have a suggestion," he said. "One that will hopefully satisfy everybody."

Jane was about to comment and say that this wasn't entirely a democracy and that at the end, the decision still lay with her as to what they were going to do, but she stayed her tongue, just happy that she got everybody's input. She listened to mostly Miranda and Garrus as they explained to her that neither of them thought it would be a good idea if she went in alone.

"Jacob and I are good with stealth missions," Miranda said. "If you're worried that we'll give you away, you still clearly have no idea what we're capable of."

Jane smiled at the comment but chose not to say anything, rather looking towards Jack. "And you?" she said. "What's your take on all of this? I presume that you've been informed on what I want to do."

Jack snorted, but seemed happier now that the conversation topic had moved away from Abby.

"Look," she said. "I don't care what the fuck you want to do, or who the hell you want to please to do it," she pointed out. "I'm good at destroying things so that's what I'll do." She sniffed and approached the table, her body language cautious but slightly aggressive. "If you don't want them to see you, I'll make sure that they see only me." She waved her omnitool over the console, pulling up a few dossiers. Shepard frowned at the people, then at Jack whose eyes had gone dark with hate.

"These fuckers were in Purgatory," she said. "Probably had shore leave or something when we left." Her mouth thinned. "If you want attention drawn away from the Alliance and yourself, I can go in, kill them, say it was revenge." She snorted and shrugged. "They'll need all of the guards in the facility to deal with me and I'm in the mood for a fight."

Shepard was pretty sure that she would, but she didn't like Jack's suggestion. None the less, it happened very rarely that Jack made any form of suggestions, so she didn't want to shoot her down immediately.

"It's certainly something to take into consideration," she pointed out. "Though I would like to see you go in with backup. Garrus perhaps," she glanced at the turian, remembering how well the two of them had worked together when they were infiltrating the Shadow Broker's base.

"If we had time," the turian came up. "We could've hired some mercenaries from Omega. Bulk up the team, it make look like a planned strike." He gave Shepard a curious look. "We can still do that..."

"No," Jane said immediately. "I want to leave the moment the Normandy's prepped. And involve as little people as possible. I'm worried about what the batarians might be doing to Kenson, the longer we wait, the more time they have to torture her." She remembered stories from her friends in the Alliance and felt her mood darken. "And torture her they will. Batarians are ruthless when it comes to humans."

She saw Garrus's face twitch, but he said nothing to this. Instead, he gave her a small nod and looked back to the files on the guards before giving Jack a cautious look. "And what of your criminal record?" He pointed out. "You kill them, you might be up for murder. Destruction. All of those fun things in life."

To his surprise, but not Jane's, Jack started laughing. "Turian, it's nothing I haven't done before," she pointed out. "Really. I've done much worse. To batarians. Asari." Her eyes narrowed as if she was baiting him. "Turians. I'm not biased with who I kill. The whole fucking galaxy knows it."

Garrus didn't rise to the taunt and simply shrugged. "Fair enough," he said. "I have another suggestion if you'll hear it."

"Please," Miranda answered before Jane could, then seemed embarrassed that she had taken the lead. Jane dismissed it and glanced at Garrus, giving her own permission.

"We hire an extra shuttle," he said. "One for Jack and myself, possibly Tali if she wants to go out and give Chic.. that combat drone of hers a bit of a run. I think you can only stare at circuitry for so long. And she isn't human, so it won't link to any of you." He grinned suddenly. "Naturally we'll go in disguise. I'd hate to have my good name dragged down to mere mercenary status."

Jane chuckled a laugh but crossed her arms. "Why hire a shuttle?" She said. "We can travel together and you can just drop me off."

Garrus shook his head. "I think its better that way," he pointed out. "We run this as two separate missions. And, I don't think we should take the Normandy. I know you want to Jane but if you go into that system, it will be linked to you regardless. So, we travel under the radar. The Normandy's shuttle is equipped with better stealth capabilities; it would suit your mission better. Hackett can pick up the bill on the other."

Jack's face picked up a little. "I hope you're getting paid for this," she pointed out. "You know there's no such thing as a fucking freebee right?"

Jane made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "There will be some compensation," she said. "That's not your concern. Garrus, I want you to go and organise a shuttle, I think it's a good idea." She glanced at Miranda who nodded ever so slightly. "The Normandy can stay docked here. I think the best thing would be that as few people know of this as possible. Miranda? You'll talk to Jacob?"

Her XO nodded. "I'll discuss it with him," she said. "See if he has anything else to add. When do you want us to confer again?"

"The moment Garrus has a shuttle," Jane said immediately. "So, suit up and prepare. I want us to leave as soon as possible. Thank you for your contribution everybody. I'll have a look at the schematics at our disposal and decide on the best point of attack. Jack?"

The biotic stiffened immediately and gave Jane a cautious look. "Can you help me with that?" The Commander asked lightly. "You know what you have in mind. You can show me what you want to do."

Jack hesitated, but then shrugged lightly and jabbed a hand in her direction. "Whatever," she said. "I'll draw you a fucking picture if you need it."

The other two saw it as their cue to leave with Miranda slipping out without another word and Garrus waiting for split second to receive a nod from Jane before he too departed.

_Always a soldier,_ Jane thought. _A good leader, but he's more than willing to sit back and let someone else do the job when he trusts them to do it better._ _And a good friend._

"Fallen in love with Garrus now have you?"

Jane pulled herself back and turned to Jack. The biotic was trying very hard to appear casual, but Jane did not miss the caution in her eyes. It was always there in some way or another, as if she was looking at people as if she was looking at them and expecting them to attack at any moment. She smiled at Jack but knew that it would not always work to relax her. Jack trusted people's smiles even less than she trusted their frowns.

"I'm just thinking," Jane said. "Sorry."

Jack snorted and shifted in her position, her shirt still obvious. _Strange,_ Jane thought. _You hardly notice she's half naked but the moment she hides her skin..._

"Jack, is something wrong?"

The biotic blinked and Jane had to wait. She had not really planned to confront Jack, but she knew that it was better doing it here, on _neutral_ ground than in her cabin or in Jack's place. In her cabin, Jack would feel threatened. In her own place, she'd feel violated.

"Shepard, what the fuck are you on about?" Jack said finally, but she took a step back, her arms still crossed over her chest. "I thought we were discussing the attack."

Jane nodded but made sure to look away from Jack so that she could show any reaction she needed to. "We are," she said. "But... we haven't had time to talk. I thought I'd just... clear the air."

Jack sneered at her, almost baring her teeth like a dog. "I don't need small talk to talk business Shepard," she pointed out. "Skip the fucking foreplay. Let's just get down to it." She sniffed and called up a schematic of the jail with a violent gesture. "I was thinking that we'll attack from here. Garrus can come along if he keeps up; I've got no fucking problem with that. We'll leave the shuttle here, maybe get someone to fly the damned thing. I'd love to use Joker but, you know, he might break a fucking leg. And we just move in a circle, coming back to it when the damage is done and leave when we know you're out." She looked up, her gaze meeting Jane's. "If you run into trouble, you let us know and we bust you out. Simple as that. Now, do you want to open up a fucking debate or can I leave?"

Jane wasn't ready to dismiss her but she knew that it was hard to keep Jack in a place if she didn't want to be there. "It sounds good," she said. "I just don't want you to put yourself in more danger than need be. Not for this mission."

Jack snorted and swiped at the air. "You asked me to go on a fucking suicide mission Shepard," she pointed out. "It can't get any worse than that."

She had to agree with that and sighed. "I just want you to know Jack that this is not an order. We're... Done. Or, you've fulfilled your end of the bargain. From the beginning. This is not an order, I'm asking you – as a friend – to help me with this."

Jack looked awkward suddenly, looking away from Jane as she did so. "Don't call it friendship Shepard," she said with a bit more snap than Jane had expected. "Call it associates. Partners. I fucking respect you and what you can do. But all these fucking... _feelings._ It just complicates things. I respect you because you're a hard ass. Not because you're some fucking pussy who wants to go around and hug everybody." She barked a laugh suddenly. "We've got Kelly Chambers for that."

Jane had to smile at that, but gave Jack a curious look. "There's nothing wrong with friendship Jack," she said quietly. "I mean, you and Kelly are friends. I think. And you and Abby."

Jack said nothing to that, but looked at the schematic, her face hard. "I've gotta go," she said. "Are we done here?"

It began to dawn on Jane that there was only one way to really pin Jack. She sighed and decided to take the bull by the horns.

"Look Jack I need to ask you something," she said. "Before we do all of this. You seem... unfocused. Did the school upset you?"

Jack gave her a look that suggested the biotic thought she had gone mad. "Why the fuck would that upset me?" she said. "They're just a bunch of fucking kids." She sniffed and looked at the door as if wishing that it was closer. But, she didn't storm out, which was a good sign. Then, she surprised Jane.

"They do good work there."

Momentarily forgetting her line of thought, Jane gave Jack a curious look. "How so?"

Jack's mouth twisted again into a sneer but then she seemed to relax a little, her gaze becoming more introspective. "They take care of them right?" She said, not looking at Jane. "They help them. I spoke to some of the kids. Briefly. They're happy. Some were..." She looked away. "Some had had encounters with Cerberus. Your... Alliance helped them. Or not even them. That Kaylee Sanders. She doesn't fuck around, she looks out for those kids."

Jane smiled, secretly amazed at what she was hearing. She looked at the schematic of the prison then back to Jack who was looking at her, some of the hostility gone. She had to choose her words carefully, not wishing to ruin the moment.

"Jack," she asked finally. "Do you wish that you had ended up in a place like that?"

She expected Jack to snap, but to her surprise the younger woman looked sad suddenly. "I am what I am because of what happened to me Shepard," she pointed out. "Just like you are. Change one thing and you become completely different. I know me. I don't want to think that there'd be anybody else. That I can be anybody else." She sniffed and rubbed her nose, then ran her hand through the stubble on her head.

"If I want to change something about me, I have to do it now. I can't look at the fucking past and think it will change itself. You taught me that."

Jane felt completely taken aback by what Jack was saying and... proud. The youth continued to watch her, her slim frame tight with expectation. She looked at Jane with such an expression of anticipation that the commander knew she had to speak to acknowledge what had just been shared.

Jane cleared her throat and gave her a smile. "I don't think you need any changing Jack," she pointed out. "I like you just the way you are." _And what you are becoming._

The biotic snorted and shrugged, leaving for the door. There, she hesitated and looked back to Jane, her gaze troubled as her fingers touched the door's frame, their tattooed ridges caressing the metal of the Normandy.

"You said the doc's alright?" she queried. "Even with that fucking asari still around?"

Jane nodded slowly, careful with her reaction. "Yeah," she said. "I don't like it but... She looks... good Jack. I don't know what Abby was like before she had her disease but I think... She's... touching on that."

Jack's face twisted to what almost a frown, then she looked away and out the door. "It's fucked up Jane," she said simply. "It's just fucked up. She shouldn't have left here."

Jane nodded slowly, watching Jack. "I don't think so either," she said. "But as her friend I respect her wishes, even if I don't agree with them." She hesitated. "I take it you didn't want her to go with Asura either."

Jack snorted and shook her head. After some consideration, she shrugged. "I just didn't want things to happen the way they did," she said finally and Jane could tell that she was going to leave. "I thought... I expected more from her." She snorted again. "But that's fucking friendship for you isn't it? Always a disappointment."

* * *

"**So, the Normandy's going to be in Omega for a few days," Commander Jane Shepard was saying.** "As far as everybody else is concerned, we're here for repairs and a service. I've even logged it that way with the docks. And, I'm in Omega. On business."

Dr. Catherine Chakwas laughed, her gaze scanning the dossier even as she glanced at the woman before her. "Not on a super secret Alliance mission," she pointed out. "I say Jane, I don't appreciate Hackett's covert action."

Jane blinked in surprise, as Catherine had thought that she would. "Why Dr. Chakwas, I didn't expect you to object."

Chakwas laughed, to keep the matter light but in own heart she felt the heavy disappointment that she had had to come to live with since she realised that her own people had betrayed her. They had taken her away from flying and put her on a desk job. And, there was how they had used Shepard's name in those months following her disappearance. Catherine had never felt guilty over her shift in allegiance. As a doctor she had always served the people, not the cause but she knew that for Jane, who had grown up in the Alliance, the old ties were harder to sever.

"I object to anything that puts you in danger Commander," she said. "And that all sounds very risky and dangerous." She made a considering sound. "And far too secretive. You have to wonder what she's doing out there, this Dr. Kenson. Do you want me to come along?"

Jane blinked at her in surprise and then shook her head with a laugh. "No Doctor," she said. "I need you here to keep an eye on things. The crew listens to you. I'm taking Miranda and Garrus with me, so... yes. Keep your ear to the ground and make sure that there's no trouble."

Chakwas chuckled at her statement and pointed a finger at her. "Are you saying that you don't trust me for field work Commander?" She pointed out. "I am severely insulted." She winked at her and then turned to her console. "If the batarians have gotten to Kenson, bring her here, I'll make sure that I'm ready to treat her. Or any other injuries you bring my way. That goes without saying."

Jane nodded. "Thank you Doctor," she said. "We'll see what we need to do when we have her. And I appreciate you keeping an eye on the crew. Hopefully, this won't take more than a few hours. If we're spotted and we need to lay low, it might take more."

Chakwas sat back and gave her a curious look. "I know how these missions can go Jane," she pointed out. "I mean, I've sat through a few of them with you. Or, waiting for you." She paused. "Is there anything else that you want to tell me?"

Jane had the grace to blush as she nodded. "Yes," she said. "I... Thought that while you're waiting, you can go and see Abby. She invited us. Or, said that we're welcome. I want you to tell me how she's really doing. Now that you have time." She hesitated but Chakwas didn't say anything, giving her the time to organise her thoughts. Or, she knew that Jane always knew what she wanted to say, but she always tried to find a way to do it subtly. "Do you know whether, when she left, she and Jack had a fight? I got the impression from both of them that... Things weren't well."

_Caught onto that finally have you?_ Chakwas thought but didn't comment immediately. She looked out of the infirmary window and then back to Jane.

"Jack was very angry when she heard that Abby was going with Asura," Chakwas pointed out. "I picked up on that much. Abby tried to go and talk to her, but I don't think it went well."

Jane nodded slowly, looking awkward. "Did you talk to either of them about it?"

Dr. Chakwas shook her head and fixed the woman with a stern look. "It's their business," she said. "I don't meddle in affairs that don't concern me. Abby hasn't mentioned it in her letters or talks and Jack won't talk to me. You're the only one she really trusts here."

Jane gave her a half smile and started heading for the door. "You meddle in my business," she pointed out to which Chakwas, in order to hide her sudden rush of embarrassment, laughed.

"You are my business," she said. "You're my commander."

Jane saluted her, but with a touch of humour and mock before she left the room. Chakwas knew that she would be back, just before she set off to say good bye. It was a habit her parents had taught her, one that stood to value the day Jane's father left never returned. Chakwas watched the woman leave through window, going to Miranda's room probably to talk some last minute strategy with her. She knew that they would be busy for a while, so she returned to her terminal and opened up the letter she had been busy with before Jane came in. She scanned over the first few paragraphs, then continued typing where she had left off.

_...further more, seem that we will be in Omega for a few days at least. It's the longest that we've been stationary for the past month. Your daughter has kept us moving constantly. I believe it's because she does not like to sit around and think for too long. I know that you have expressed a wish to see her; I think that now would be your best chance. _

_If you can get away from the Orizaba that is, I realise that a Captain cannot just abandon her duty. Also, I recommend speaking to Hackett. She is on a mission for him and something about it does not sit right. _

_As always, my regards in friendship – I watch her still. _

_Catherine._

* * *

**She came within sight of the Normandy's docking bay but paused there, her heart tight with memory.** Samara watched the passageway leading to the ship that had been, briefly, the first home to her that she had had in four hundred years. In the beginning she had not thought that she would become sentimental about it, but then that was before she fully understood the impact that Commander Jane Shepard had on those of her crew. The woman was a curious phenomenon. Regardless of her better knowledge, Samara still found herself drawn to her and, in a sense, it frightened her.

_You left her like that,_ Abby had accused her. _You left her._

The vet's words had hurt her, more than she cared to show because pained her knowing she was responsible for the sorrow she sensed in Jane's soul but she had also known that it would not be easy for Jane to let her go and let this _fantasy_ of a relationship be. She had to follow the code and Jane was to follow her own path.

_Which would lead to the end of the galaxy if she fails in her quest, could you not stand with her for that?_

She pulled the hood that she was wearing closer. Jane had nearly spotted her on several occasions, the woman's instincts tuned as finely as that for an asari commando. Samara had realised that she would not be able to remain hidden for long without some form of disguise. She still did not know what she was doing there. She knew that she did not wish to speak to Jane, she did not want to open any wounds, but she _needed_ to see her. To find some hint that the woman was going to be alright.

_I will always love you Jane Shepard. You are the first thing that I think of in the morning and the last I wish to think about at night_. Her own words echoed in her mind. She still felt that way, still thought of the commander every moment.

_What am I doing here?_

She saw figure come out of the docking bay and could tell immediately by the way that he was walking, despite the fact that he was wrapped in a cloak very similar to hers, that it Garrus Vakarian. There was only one turian on board the ship and he walked with a speed and grace that suggested he was _very _at home in Omega. Remembering what Abby had said about the dangerous mission, she decided to follow him and see what he was up to. She slipped into the crowd behind him, easily following him as he made his way to some unknown destination. He moved quickly and anybody else might've missed him as he duck and wove through the narrow alleyways and crowds but she stayed on his back quick easily, become more and more curious as to the nature of his venture.

At some point, she thought she almost lost him because he ducked into an alleyway and was out of her sight for several seconds, but then he appeared again on the other side she pursued him with renewed attention. She was about to break out of the alley way and into the plaza where he had moved into when a strong arm grabbed her around her throat and pulled her back.

Breathing in, Samara let her instincts take over.

"I don't..." The voice began but never got to finish the sentence. She turned slightly, punched her assailant's chest, saw his hand and decided that he was turian. Then, a split second later, she allowed a pulse of biotics to detonate between them. Her assailant yelped and twisted away from her, giving her the chance to turn out of his grip and make a lunge for his throat. He blocked, tried to sweep her off her feet but she twisted again, away from him, grabbing his leg as he did so. She threw it back, causing him to lose his balance and fall yet as she did so, he grabbed the loose cloak she had around her and pulled it, dragging her to the ground with him as she fell. They landed in a tangle of limbs, both fighting now to get the weapons they wore. Samara pulled her gun as the attacker moved away from her. She heard a click as he armed his and then...

"Samara?"

The world came into focus and Samara breathed out, blinking at Garrus's scarred features.

"Samara," he asked, surprised and shocked. "What are you doing here?"

_To be Continued..._


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 07:**** Oz.**

**Neither of them dropped their weapons immediately, their breathing heavy in the rank smelling alley of Omega's back streets.** Samara forced herself to take another breath, making sure that it was Garrus before she took lowered her weapon. The turian, after a second's consideration, did the same. They looked at each other, their breathing equally forced as they tried to get their attack sense under control. Garrus finally put away his weapon, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

"Samara," he said again. "What are you doing here? Were you following me?"

There was no use denying it. Samara nodded, putting away her own gun and forcing herself to forget it.

_I won't kill any of Shepard's crew, I won't..._

"I was," she said and knowing what the next line of questioning would be, continued to give him an explanation. "I wanted to see where you were going. I heard that you are all going on a very dangerous mission. I wanted to see if I can be of some assistance."

Garrus's eyes became more intense and irritated as he glanced behind him where a young turian had made an appearance, his eyes worried as he looked between the two of them. Garrus made a motion with his hand and the young turian gave him back his cloak. If credits had exchanged hands, it must've done so already.

"By keeping yourself hidden?" Garrus said gruffly. "Where did you hear about it?"

Samara was concerned by the touch of hostility that she heard in his voice. Garrus was an echo of Commander Jane Shepard and if he was angry with her, it meant that Jane was absolutely furious.

"Dr Gable told me," Samara said simply. "I ran into her earlier." She considered her words carefully. "Why do you have to go to Ba'hak? What is there that you require?"

This time, Garrus's glare was clear. "That is none of your business Samara," he said frankly. "It wasn't even Dr Gable's, though I'd imagine that Jane shared it with her because she _trusts_ her. If you want to know why Jane's going, you should ask her. And, while you're at it and apology wouldn't hurt. As it is, I don't have anything to say to you."

He started moving away but she grabbed him by his arm, pulling him back. "Garrus," she said sharply, though her heart was beating uncharacteristically fast in her chest. "Jane knew what she was getting herself in for when... When she..."

"When you _connected?_" Garrus asked bitterly. "Don't give me that crap Samara. Jane thought that, the moment you two _connected__,_ you were there to stay. She's not some customer that you picked up in a bar Samara..." He stopped abruptly and looked at her, for which Samara was glad because it gave her a moment to collect herself.

She had raised her hand to him, but years of training had stayed it. Her intention was clear, she had been ready to slap him. She had to take a breath and lowered her hand, all the while watching the turian's eyes.

"What happened between me and Jane is none of your business," she pointed out but he shook his head and turned his back on her.

"If it's none of my business then stop following me around. You either go to the Normandy or leave, Samara. There's no other option."

Again surprised by his hostility, Samara took a step back and gave him a cautious look. "Garrus," she started but the turian shook his head, pulling the cloak he must've given to the other turian around him again.

"I don't have anything else to say," he said. "I hope your code is worth it Samara. Oh, and if you don't stop following me, I might just have to do something drastic that will be completely acceptable on Omega."

She watched him leave, unable to say anything else, unable to find a reason within the code to follow him.

And, unable to find the courage within herself to go to one Jane Shepard.

* * *

**Unable to go back to sleep despite the early hour, Abby got dressed with the intention of going to check up on that varren. **She wasn't surprised when Asura insisted on accompanying her and felt much more at ease, knowing that the Ardat Yakshi wouldn't be alone. She trusted Samara's word, she knew she had to, but the Justicar's presence made her uneasy. A part of her wondered whether it had to do with both the Ardat Yakshi's memories that lurked inside her mind, that both of them carried a strong distrust for Samara's kind.

That knowledge made her feel incredibly guilty because she knew by rights that she could trust the Justicar, that like Shepard, she knew what Samara had sacrificed to her code. She had witnessed the Justicar kill her daughter and even though it had been through a television screen, she knew that in this world, it probably held much the same weight and circumstance. But, that did not stop her from fearing the Justicar because she knew that if she was willing to kill Morinth, then _taking care_ of Asura would not be a problem.

When they reached the clinic, still walking in silence, Abby forced herself to push all such thoughts out of her mind. She looked around for Mordin but found that he had not yet clocked in. She went to the back where they kept the varren and found it standing upright in its cage, growling at the krogan cleaner. She could tell immediately that it felt much better and the food they had left for it was gone.

The krogan, a runt of a beast who was testament that the genophage had not stopped at simply suppressing the krogan's fertility but affected their genetics as well, was growling at the varren in return. Yet, strangely, Abby got the idea that neither of them were exceptionally serious about it.

"_Krogan and varren co developed,"_ Mordin had told her once. _"Shows basic understanding of each other. Lives in a form of symbiosis. Strong belie__f__ that if varren could talk, they'd be on council before krogan. That smart, the species." _

Abby could believe that, looking at the creature. It stopped growling when it saw her and opened its mouth to what she could only place to be a friendly grin. She gave it an awkward smile and glanced at the krogan who was still looking rather fierce.

"Everything alright here?" She queried.

He glanced at her before making a dismissive swipe in the cage's direction. "I hope that's your lunch," he growled under his breath. "Because otherwise, I see no reason why it should be there."

Abby gave him a polite smile and slowly approached the varren, judging its reactions. It still seemed friendly enough and although she could feel Asura tensing behind her, she knew that it was safe.

"No Wessel," she said, "he's my patient. And, I have to say, he's looking quite well. Aren't you lad?" She said the last with a smile as she carefully hunched down next to the cage. Behind her Asura shifted again and spoke her name once but she ignored the Ardat Yakshi, looking into the varren's gaze, searching it for any sign of hostility. When she saw none, she carefully reached for the muzzle they had used before and put her hand in between the bars to secure it around the varren's face. He let her, his gaze almost patient as he fixed his whole attention on her.

_I see you,_ those eyes seemed to say. _I know what you did._

She smiled, unable to help herself and carefully caressed the creature's head.

"Good dog," she said simply. "Let's have a look at you."

She moved to the side of the cage, taking note of the way it kept its weight shifted to one side. Amputated leg or not, the pain didn't seem to bother him at all and, when she carefully ran her fingers over the ridges of her stitches, she could see that the skin had already started to knit together quite well. When she touched him, the varren turned back to look at her, but didn't move immediately. It was only when she withdrew her hand that it settled down, lying on its uninjured side. Pleased with what she saw, Abby smiled and then made to turn to Asura when a memory suddenly sparked in her mind. She felt her world shift and grabbed the enclosure for support. For a moment she saw nothing but the varren, alive and muzzled, yet a dead carcass in her mind's eye.

"_You're going to have to send more than that after me,"_ a voice hissed through hers. _"The Shadow Broker is very displeased..."_

_No,_ Abby thought. _I am Dr Abigail Gable..._

The dead carcass whined, moved and lifted up its muzzle to touch her hand. The memory broke and Abby sat down hard, feeling the varren's strange skin touching her wrist. Asura was with her in two strides, her strong hands finding her shoulders and pulling her away from the cage. Abby, still reeling from the memory, allowed her to. The varren remained where he was, whining but not doing anything else.

"Are you alright?" Asura asked, her voice tight with worry. "Abby?"

_I_ am _Dr Abigail Gable._

"Yes," Abby managed. "Yes, I was just dizzy. Sorry." She cleared her throat. _I am not Lenelle..._ "Sorry." Her memories were easier to control these days but the lapses weren't uncommon. She would wake up some nights thinking she's one of the two asari and it would take a very patient Asura to coach her back to reality. It was one of the reasons she never bothered moving to her 'own' room. It was safer sleeping with Asura. But, those moments never lasted more than a minute or two and Abby never lost _complete_ control of herself. With both Lenelle and Asura's memories, a part of herself remained who she was. Grounded and aware that these memories weren't her own.

She swallowed, aware that Wessel too was staring at her. When she glanced at him he shifted, dropped his mop and left the room. A moment or two later, he came back with a glass of water which she accepted gratefully. All the while, Asura looked at her but said nothing, her worry clear but her guilt keeping her from saying anything else. The asari had not liked hearing about the side effect that melding had. Sharing memories was one thing but having her whole identity transplanted into Abby was something completely different.

And they never spoke about Lenelle.

"Maybe we should go back home," Asura said tightly. "We were up early and..."

Abby waved her off, put the cup down and motioned to Asura to help her up, not wanting to find out if she could do it on her own or not.

"Nonsense," she said. "I have things to do and unpack at my clinic." She glanced at the varren, who was still looking at her with all too intelligent eyes. It had settled back now that she was away from the cage but its eyes never left her. "I can... Bring him along. Then Mordin doesn't have to worry about him."

Asura gave the varren an uncomfortable look. "I'm worried about him right now," she confessed. "Abby... It's not... you know. A pet."

_But it can be,_ the rebellious side of Abby's mind whispered but she didn't fully embrace the idea immediately. "We can keep him in the enclosure," she pointed out. "I just need to keep an eye on him Asura. It's as much for me to learn as it is for him to recover. I'm going to get him some medication and then we can think about how we're going to move him."

Looking at her with a mixture of pleasure and exasperation, Asura finally shook her head. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" She queried to which Abby grinned, winking at her as she did so, not caring if the krogan saw the brief flush of excitement on her cheeks as her body suddenly longed for the Ardat Yakshi's. Like the memories, she pushed that feeling away, but allowed the appreciation she felt for the asari show.

"No," she said simply and moved to the door. "How do you know me by now?"

* * *

"_**Brother please, make it stop!" **_

The disembodied voice of the VI on Aite played through her mind as she stared out of the shuttle, trying not to breathe too much to avoid the smell. There were other voices in her mind, those of the children. Those of herself.

_Please, make it stop._

Jack closed her eyes, then looked at Garrus who was flying "Fuck it Garrus," she said, "A deal's one thing but next time make sure you don't pick one that a krogan farted in."

The turian smiled, briefly but didn't chuckle as she had expected him to. They had left the Normandy almost an hour before and was about to jump through the mass relay. All the while, Garrus had not said a word. Jack looked at him, wondering then looked out of the window again. In the end, they were the only two who would assault the prison from the one side, Garrus had decided that taking Tali along was too risky.

_Stupid, weak quarians, their like stockings, always at a risk of a tear._

She was glad that it was only her and Garrus. She never really fancied sharing close quarters with Tali, having very little to say to her. Not that it would've been a problem with Garrus around. He was always good for a chat. Only... now he wasn't.

Something was bothering the turian, Jack could sense it. Watching him, seeing the way his gaze shifted to the scanners, she wondered what troubled him. Very little bothered the turian and although she and Garrus had never been the type to have a heart to heart, she knew that if something was on his mind, it was normally important. She shifted on her chair, rocking back and forth for a moment then made up her mind.

"So, what's eating you?" She tried very hard not to curse.

Garrus looked at her in surprise, then a touch of amusement. "You think something's bothering me?" he queried. "How so?"

Jack, unable to help herself, began to feel angry. "I can fucking see it," she snapped. "But if you don't want to answer, just say so! Don't fucking bullshit me." She kicked out at the dashboard in front of her and then turned away from Garrus, angry that she had bothered to say anything.

The shuttle was silent for a few minutes, a dim blue light filling the cockpit as they approached the mass relay. Garrus tactfully steered it closer, handling the shuttle as if he had been born in it.

"I saw Samara today."

Jack jerked and would've turned to him had he not had all his attention on the relay. She held her breath as she always did when she saw the approach. It was both beautiful and terrifying and it always seemed to stretch out over a lifetime, yet the actual jump never took more than a few seconds.

When they were on the other side of the galaxy, she finally took another breath then turned back to Garrus.

"For real?"

The turian nodded to which Jack snorted immediately.

"Fuck me," she managed. "Why? What did she want?"

Garrus took a long time to answer and she wasn't sure he knew the answer himself. "She wanted to know about Jane. If she's in danger, what this mission is about."

Glaring at the new star system, Jack gave Garrus a quick sideways glance. "I hope you told her to go fuck herself," she said "How the hell did she know about it anyway?"

Garrus grunted and shook his head. "Not quite as colourfully but yes, I told her that she should back off or come in completely," he answered. "Seems Abby told her. I'm surprised Jane trusted the vet with that knowledge."

This time it was Jack's turn to grunt, though her heart ached suddenly. "Shepard had no call to discuss it with the vet," she pointed out. "You can't trust her. She fucking well blabbed to the first person that crossed her way."

She could not help but flinch at the sudden look of disapproval in Garrus's eyes, though he hid it very quickly with a shrug. "I don't think that's entirely true," he pointed out and sighed. "Dr Gable's... well. She's not a liability. Jane sees her as a friend. I thought you did to."

Jack snorted. "I already had this conversation with Jane," she pointed out. "I'm not repeating myself." She didn't like the way the turian smiled.

"Seems to be an important one then," Garrus pointed out. "If it comes out twice. Are you going to see her when we get back?"

Not wishing to discuss it any further, Jack drew her knees up and turned to the window, not looking at the turian. "No," she said. "I have nothing to say to her. What did Samara have to say about Jane?" When she blinked, she saw a brief image in her mind's eye of Abby barely able to walk, leaping up and grabbing Lenelle, distracting the asari and so saving _her_ life.

"_You don't have time to kill us both!" _Abby, against all odds, had sounded angry then, almost desperate. Not afraid, no. The woman had happily faced her death and survived it.

Twice.

Jack snorted and shook her head to herself, finding that Garrus had not yet answered her question. They rode in silence for a bit and a message came through to both their omni-tools that Shepard and her Cerberus pets were right behind them.

"I think," Garrus said finally, "that Samara regrets leaving Jane. But she won't come back. Probably to do with her code or... whatever. I don't really care. If she's not here to stay, I won't let her come back."

Jack nodded her approval. She had tried to keep herself out of the whole Samara/Jane saga but even she could tell that an encounter with the Justicar now would derail Shepard.

_Since when do you care? And why? _

The answer was painfully simple.

Because Jane did.

* * *

"_**I am a broken vessel of sorrow and regret, but I am free." **_

Those were the words she had spoken to Commander Jane Shepard and now as Samara stood on Omega, she knew them to be a lie. She was not free, she would never be. She was tied to her code and now to another; to the very woman she had spoken those words to.

She had stood in the alley after Garrus Vakarian left, her mind reeling from the encounter. She had not expected his hostility and, when she thought back on it, even Abby had been angry at her in her own way.

_What does Jane think of me?_

Her code answered for her. _It does not matter, only justice matters..._

"Damn it," Samara whispered and slammed her hand against a refuge bin. "Damn it!" She closed her eyes and tried to still the pain of longing in her heart, that part of her that had come to belong to Jane in a way it had not belonged to anybody including the asari, the _beautiful_ asari who had fathered her children. For once, she forced herself to remember Morinth's father the wild spirited Yuta whom Samara had thought she would love till the day that she closed her eyes to this world forever. And, a part of her still loved her though she was still angry that the asari had left her to death to deal with her daughter's burden on her own. Yet, that anger and love weren't enough to drag her thoughts away from Jane.

She looked up at the sky that wasn't and closed her eyes, praying to the goddess to give her strength to step away or the guidance to know what she had to do.

"Is he a criminal?"

Samara opened her eyes and turned around to find Phora standing behind her, her eyes bright as she stared in the direction Garrus had gone. Grimacing, wishing that she had paid more attention to who might be following _her_ Samara shook her head. "Not here," she said. "That turian is no criminal. Are you following me?"

The Justicar raised her brow and shook her head. "I happened to see you pursue this individual from the docks. I thought that you might require some assistance." Her eyes challenged Samara to say otherwise. "When I saw that you knew him, I decided to wait. I would hate to interfere."

Samara had to focus to keep her mouth from thinning. "Then I thank you for your concern," she said calmly. "Have you found what you're looking for yet?"

Phora gave her a calm smile. "Still looking," she said. "I might be here a while."

Samara surprised herself by wondering whether she should tell Dr Gable but then she dismissed the idea. She could not interfere with Asura but she also felt that if the Ardat Yakshi was doing anything on Omega to attract a Justicar's attention then it wasn't her place to interfere in the work of one of her sisters. Still, if Phora was going to be here a while...

"Phora," she asked. "If you are to stay here, would you mind if I borrow your shuttle?"

The asari looked surprised at her question and clearly could not keep her features as indifferent as Samara had managed to keep hers. "We've only just got here," Phora pointed out but then, when she saw Samara give her a questioning look she schooled her features to a friendly smile.

"Of course," she said. "What's mine is yours, sister. And of course if you require any assistance..."

"I don't," Samara said. "I work on my own for many years. I am sure that I would be able to manage. Thank you for the offer though. I hope to return shortly." _I hope that in fact, it won't have been necessary for me to leave at all..._

But a part of her knew that it would be. That she felt the same trepidation for Jane's safety as Dr Gable did. She tried to justify her concern by reminding herself that impossible causes and situations followed Jane like a plague. And,that the Spectre would not involve herself in anything that wasn't serious.

* * *

**They moved the varren to her empty clinic and spen****t**** most of the morning unpacking supplies and sorting out everything that Abby would need. **Her paperwork was sorted for Omega and in truth, she could start practicing the moment she had enough supplies. Two weeks before they had let the Omega registry section know that she was opening up her practice and so far, nobody had objected. Abby knew of course that it didn't mean she was going to get any patients. Omega was, by default, a poor settlement but she had faith that, as she had done at home, she'd be able to cater for everybody's needs. And, Aria had been right, from what she had learned from Mordin, Omega was truly in need of a vet.

She kept a close eye on the varren but it soon dawned on her that Mordin had been right, that once the creature's infected leg was amputated, it's natural immune and regeneration system would kick in properly and make to heal him as fast as was normal for his species. It was fascinating to watch and the varren was very patient with her.

"Very intelligent creatures," Mordin told her as they both looked at Abby's handiwork that, probably by the end of the next day would look like nothing but an old scar. "Truly remarkable."

Abby smiled at him, pleased with herself. She had not done such a surgery in many months and it felt... good. Before her disease she had never taken much pride in her work, taking the ability to sew a straight line for granted but now she knew that everything was temporary. Perhaps even a gift.

Mordin certainly was.

She smiled at him and motioned to the varren who was currently sleeping. "I think it's quite tame," she pointed out. "It was probably a pet or something."

The salarian smiled at her. "Pet?" he queried. "No, no, no. Could come from anywhere. Lots of pit fights here. All legal. Could come from that."

Abby frowned at him. "Wouldn't he be more aggressive then?" she queried to which the salarian shook his head. "Varren must know he's weaker now," he pointed out. "Previous owner abandoned him. Not good in a fight. Certainly not a race. Could be he sees an opportunity." He grinned at her. "You should keep him."

Abby almost laughed. "Asura said I'm not allowed," she pointed out. "But... the idea is tempting."

Mordin made brief sound of disapproval. "Asura won't always be around," he pointed out. "Not her choice. When? Tomorrow? She leaves on business for Aria. Says it will take a day but what if it takes more?" He shook his head. "No, keep the varren. Good guard for the clinic. For you." She could feel his attention shifting. "If we hurry today, you can be open tomorrow."

Abby gave him a skeptical look. "Mordin, it's a varren, not a dog." She could tell immediately that she had said something wrong because Mordin brought up his hand quickly, frowning at her.

"Perceptions like that have no place on Omega," he snapped at her. "Dogs are pets from Earth. Here, many different kinds. Why I taught you different physiology, different anatomy. Narrow-mindedness can get you killed here. Don't think this is Earth."

Blinking at his tirade, Abby found herself blushing. She looked away from the salarian for a moment then sighed and remembered that one of the parts of learning was making a mistake.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I wasn't thinking. And... it would be nice to keep him. I miss having a pet." It was the most neutral thing she could think of to say but it seemed to please Mordin.

"Good," he said. "Name it. Then talk about tomorrow."

Abby barked a laugh. "Mordin, I invented that trick," she pointed out. "You name something, you claim responsibility for it."

The salarian grinned at her. "Then name it," he pointed out. "Can't hurt. Gives Asura something to yell at."

She smiled and then sighed, feeling a pang as she remembered the dog she left behind at home in her own world and reality.

"Dog," she said simply. "I'll call it Dog. To remind myself that ah... I'm not in Kansas anymore."

Mordin grinned at her, his eyes bright. "Wizard of Oz," he said. "Judy Garland."

Shocked that the salarian recognised the reference, Abby could only smile. "Ai," she said and missed home suddenly. "1939. It was one of the first movies I saw. With... With one of the people my dad..." She trailed off and sighed. "Doesn't matter. But it made an impression."

Mordin nodded, his eyes still bright but with more than amusment. "Memories make us who we are," he pointed out. "Always matter." He started humming to himself and Abby recognized the song.

_We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz..._

"Really liked the songs," Mordin said when he stopped humming. "And the movie. Shepard reminds me of Dorothy. Drawing people together. I wonder what happened to Oz... Maybe that's what you should call the varren. Oz."

_**To Be Continued...**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: I must apologise for the delay in releasing chapters. I am very busy at the moment and somehow just don't find the time to write. I will continue this, I promise. It might just take a little longer. To all still reading, thank you. **_

**Chapter 08: Arrival.**

**Against all the odds, Jane was sleeping. **

Sitting in the cockpit, Miranda glanced back to watch the sleeping Commander. The red head was sitting upright, with her head back and her legs slightly forward to steady herself. Her arms were crossed over her chest and, for the time being, she looked completely at peace with the world. Miranda envied her but also knew that the moment would last only as long as the woman's eyes were closed.

_At least she's sleeping._

She sighed and turned back to look at the marker on the radar that was Garrus's shuttle. There was a shuffle behind her and at first she thought that Jane had woken up but then Jacob joined her in the cockpit, sliding into the seat beside her with an ease brought on by their years of working together.

She found herself taking a moment to study him and appreciate what he did with his body. Jacob only had standard genetic modification in his genes and then of course the implants that allowed him to be a biotic. But, apart from that, all that he had, he had accomplished himself. Even his rank within Cerberus was from hard work and not by extension of working with her. She respected him for it and in the beginning it had even pulled her to his bed. She allowed herself to remember those nights, then found herself blushing when Jacob turned to her, smiling.

He was happily oblivious to her train of thought and she turned away quickly, not wanting to give him any encouragement. Their breakup had been mutual, but she had been the one to push for it. Not only had she gotten the impression that the Illusive Man had not wanted one of his top operatives _romantically_ compromised, but she had also learned that she would never be what Jacob needed, _wanted_ in a partner. Jacob confessed to wanting a wife, to getting married, having kids. At the end of the day, when the world was a place where he could put away his guns and walk away from fighting, Jacob wanted a _normal_ life.

Something that she could never have and would never be able to give him.

She glanced back to see whether Jane was still sleeping.

"It's a veteran's trick," Jacob said softly, following her train of thought. "Soldiers would grab a wink whenever they can. I heard that during the Blitz, she never slept. Not where people could see."

Miranda murmured, having heard and _confirmed _the same rumours. She had wanted to understand what had allowed the commander to do that, but as it turned out, Jane had just learned to take a wink when she could and make sure that the people counting on her knew that she was always available.

Her heart ached unexplainably and she turned back to the console, hardening her features. Jacob however, had already seen enough.

"What's bothering you Miranda?"

She glanced at him with his question, sighed and carefully closed the cockpit door.

"I'm just thinking that the world has changed a lot in the past three years."

Jacob raised a dark eyebrow, studying her, then nodded. "Not quite what you signed up for?"

Miranda hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "We knew it was going to be a wild ride," she said with a shrug, non-committing. "And we got that."

Jacob murmured something and looked away from her, out into the Ba'hak system. A large asteroid slowly passed over their radar and was gone. _Very close to the Mass Relay..._

"You just didn't think that it would take you away from Cerberus."

Miranda froze.

There was truth in that even as a part of her wanted to say that she was still a part of the _organisation, _she knew that she would never be able to return there_._ _'Consider this my resignation,'_ she had told the Illusive Man to his face and she had not send a report to him in _months_. Yes, she was well and truly out of the organisation that she had relied on to protect, not only her own life, but that of her sister as well.

"It was an unexpected turn of events," she said. "But easily justifiable."

To her surprise, Jacob laughed at her. "Do you remember that I said the same thing when I joined Cerberus?"

She had to pause and run back into her mind and memories. _Bloody hell, he is right. _She felt a fresh wave of unease and shifted her attention to him. _Jacob is a strange man,_ she thought. _Full of ideals and a picture of what the world should be like. What normality is. _She had no doubt that he was loyal to Shepard, just as he had been loyal to Cerberus and the Alliance in the time that he served with them. Yet, she could not decide whether that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, it showed that he was willing to change his life in order to fight for what he thought was right. On the other hand, it meant that one could never be sure if you had his complete loyalty because if someone with a stronger vision of the world came past, you might just lose him to that ideal.

Yet, she found herself smiling at him and reached out briefly to touch his arm, to remind herself what it felt like. In the time that she had been with him, she had tried. A part of her had wanted to give him what he wanted.

"You did," she said. "And look where you are. Still easily justifiable?"

He laughed again, a pleasant sound and shrugged. "Still on the same path Miranda," he said. "Just closer to the prize."

This time it was her turn to laugh. "And what would that be?"

He grinned at her and motioned back to Shepard. "Victory," he said. "She'll lead the way, we'll kick Reaper ass and then we'll have the rest of our lives to celebrate." He grinned at her. "What's better than that?"

Miranda smiled at him, loving his optimism. "I can't think of anything," she said but felt her heart grow heavy again. In another half an hour, they were going to be near Aratoht. This mission made sense. If they aided Hackett, he would surely be more willing to help them in the future. God knew, they needed aid from the Alliance. Cerberus was a closed avenue.

And if they could get the Alliance to openly agree with them, then maybe the Council...

_But, how do you prepare for something like this?_ Miranda thought. _How do you prepare for possible extinction? Is it possible?_

She didn't want to answer that, because if she did, she would have to wonder if there were other answers, other questions.

Like why one woman instead of an organisation was more likely to lead them to victory against a foe that had not failed in millions of years.

* * *

**The call made her uneasy, because if things were going **_**according to plan,**_** then she should only have seen Aria the following day.** Asura Dushkriti did not like coming to After Life, especially not lately when she knew that Aria's attention was always on her. These days, the press of bodies was also overwhelming, or felt that way. She knew that she imagined it, but sometimes it felt as if everybody was looked at her invitingly; with a hunger only she could satisfy a need in them that they have been longing for all their lives. She did not have to push past anybody, or struggle to find a way because the floor just _opened_ for her.

And she knew that some of her kind could sense it. Not what she was, but simply that she was different.

The Justicar's arrival also lay heavy on her mind. She trusted that Samara would not come after her for as long as Abby was alive. But, the older asari had been correct in one thing, humans did not live long.

Her heart ached at the thought as she started up the stairs to Aria's personal section, nodding at Anto as she walked past him. He snorted at her, but she didn't pay it any mind. Batarians rarely liked anybody from any other than their own species. That Anto worked with Aria was a miracle in itself.

_She's got power. That's something Batarians like more than themselves._

Aria was standing when she reached the top of the stairs, her back calmly turned towards her. She had seen the asari unsettled only once, and she had recovered so quickly that Asura might've imagined it. In an attempt to show Aria that she wasn't going to move under her power easily – or allow Abby to be sucked in - she had shown the asari how easy it was to be seduced by her power.

Aria had not taken to it well and it had changed the way which she interacted with them and she now hardly did them any favours. But, that was the way Asura preferred it. She honoured her part of the deal, did what Aria wanted her to do, but she did no more because she didn't owe the asari _more_ than she already did.

Asura did not announce herself, knowing that Aria knew she was there. Rather, she remained standing at the bottom of the steps, humouring Aria to call her up if she needed her. It gave the matriarch a false sense of power, that she could control those she allowed to come before her. She expected to wait for her attention for a while but Aria turned surprisingly fast, smiling at her even as she glanced at one of the patrons she usually kept with her in the upstairs lounge.

"I'm glad you could make it," the pirate queen said. "I realise that this is a busy day for you." There was no greeting and Asura had the impression that Aria didn't feel she was worth it. "Tell me, how is the moving going?"

Asura shifted and gave Aria a friendly smile.

"We're making progress," She said. "Abby plans to open the doors tomorrow. She believes that there won't be any patients but she says it's important for people to start realising that you are available."

Aria nodded but her gaze was sharp. "And you think that she's ready?"

"Of course," Asura answered quickly and loyally. "As you know, Dr. Gable has many skills. I have never seen her falter."

She didn't like the way Aria smiled as she nodded and slid down on her couch. "She's certainly full of surprises," she said smoothly. "As her lover, I'm sure you can tell me more but this is not the time to discuss it. Please sit."

A part of Asura wanted to say that she'd rather stand, but something made her hesitate and finally slip into the spot that Aria indicated. The matriarch smiled at her, pleased by the small battle that she had won. _I won't be manipulated Aria,_ Asura thought with a touch of rage. _No one will do to me again what Lenelle had done. No one._

Aria lifted up her hand and made a small, beckoning motion. "Asura, I would like you to meet Phora. She is a Justicar that's come to me in aid. I believe that she'll be of use in the mission that I'm about to send you on."

If Asura had not been expecting Aria to try and catch her off guard, she would've leapt to her feet and bolted. Instead she found herself looking up at an asari that could only be described as hansome. Part of her had expected to see Samara but the cold smile that met hers wasn't the familiar matriarch's.

"Phora, this is Asura – she works for me. Her partner has recently opened up a veterinarian clinic here or rather, is in the process of doing so."

The asari smiled. Her features were plain and her eyes too small. She wasn't as light as Samara or as dark as Aria. Next to the Queen of Omega, she almost had a greenish hue. But her eyes were twice as sharp and the way she held herself suggested only power.

And suspicion.

"Partner?" She queried. "Veterinarian? I am unfamiliar with the term."

Asura forced her mind to work. "Abby's a vet," she said. "Human term for anyone who treats species other than her own. She specialises in dogs and cats but..."

Something in the Justicar's features silenced her. "Human?" Phora murmured. "She's a human?"

Asura could only nod and looked to Aria, meeting her gaze. _What the hell are you playing at? Do you want to get me killed? _Her concern moved beyond her and her chest grew even tighter. _Abby. I don't want her to know about Abby!_

"How quaint," Phora said and smiled suddenly, amused. "I would not have taken you for the type to... mate with a human. But we can be surprised every day." She took looked at Aria and without being asked sat down on the opposite couch.

Asura felt nauseous. "We've only just met, you and I," she pointed out softly. "It is rare to see a Justicar here. I would not have thought that... that you would travel outside of our space." She forced herself to look away from the newcomer and back to Aria. "You said that I will need help for my mission?"

Aria smiled smoothly and sat back, spreading her arm far across the back of her couch. "It's become a bit more complicated than I originally anticipated," Aria pointed out. "I had two more bodies show up this morning. The Justicar has _kindly_ offered her services."

_Bodies,_ Asura thought. _Right._

Two days ago Aria had contacted her, asking if she had become sloppy in disposing of her kills. Asura hadn't known what she was on about until the asari literary had to spell it out for her. After that, she had denied it vehemently. She had not melded with anybody except Abby, despite the fact that her need far outweighed the vet's. It was tough but she held to her monogamy. She didn't know whether Aria believed her, which could by why she had called in the justicar.

_Samara and this Phora? It can't be coincidence._ She shifted in her seat, studying Phora while the justicar seemed to have dismissed her out of hand. _It's because I mentioned Abby._

"And these are the bodies that you think belong to an Ardat Yakshi kill?" Phora's voice was smooth, almost professional. Asura forced herself to stop looking at her and turned to Aria.

"They are certainly presented in such a manner," Aria said and handed Phora a data disk which she immediately inserted into her omnitool and opened. She didn't hand Asura hers, but slipped it across the table. _Avoiding an opportunity for me to reach out and touch her._ "I would like to know what is going on. There's no doubt that Omega has a pretty high body count on a day to day basis, but the prevalence of these specific kills are beginning to make me uncomfortable."

Phora nodded, not looking up from the data. "And you've had one Ardat Yakshi here recently?" She queried. "One calling herself Morinth?"

"Two actually," Aria said calmly. Asura, also looking at Aria's data, didn't dare to look up. "The other called herself Lenelle. Asura knew her, followed her trial." The matriarch glanced at her and gave her a sweet smile. "She was involved in killing her in the end, so I can tell you, she's had a lot of experience. I also believe that she's seen more than one Ardat Yakhi kill in her life time. She worked with one of your sisters, Samara."

Phora looked up from her data and gave them both a look. Asura could tell that it was all news to her, all surprising her. _She knows Samara, she probably knows Samara had to kill her own daughter. Goddess, save me. _

"Lenelle?" She queried, clearly interested. "Tell me about her." She looked towards Asura with a new interest. "You knew what she was? Faced her? Killed her? I have never heard of her and I make a point of listening for Ardat Yakshi activity."

Asura shifted uncomfortably and looked away, breaking eye contact to control her own emotions. The truth was she had not known what Lenelle was, not really, even though she knew that they shared the same genetic affliction. The Ardat Yakshi had shaped her to become a weapon, using her own hate and need for revenge against her. And, the harsh reality was that, if it hadn't been for Abby, she would never have seen it. _The Goddess did send her my way..._

"She worked for the Shadow Broker," Asura said, trying to keep her voice as level as she could. "She committed many atrocities and he hid them for her. I will confess, I did not kill her on my own. I was under her spell for a very long time. But, Commander Shepard made me see the light. She killed her. I was trying too hard to keep myself from dying."

Phora nodded slowly, still studying her. "Still," she said slowly. "You broke away from her spell. That is something. Very few have ever managed that." Her gaze seemed softer when she turned to Aria. "Where are these bodies?"

Aria motioned one of her turian guards closer with an elegant wave of her hand. "Pax will take you," she said. "I presume you both want to see them now?"

To Asura's surprise, Phora glanced at her in question and, when she didn't protest, nodded.

"That might be wise," she said. "I would hate for there to be more innocent victims."

_Nobody is innocent on Omega,_ Asura thought bitterly but nodded and stood up with the Justicar. She could feel Aria's gaze on her and when she looked at the matriarch she was smiling slyly.

"Good luck," Aria murmured. "And although I don't expect it, I would appreciate it if you keep me in the loop."

The other asari smiled at Aria, but as far as Asura could tell there was no acknowledgement of Aria's request. And, with right. By all accounts, Aria had just as much reason to fear the Justicar as she had, if only through her deeds rather than her genetics. When they left, she didn't bother looking at Aria herself but kept her gaze on Phora, wondering how much the asari would see in her and how successful she would be in hiding the fact that she was among those the Justicar was sworn to apprehend.

She had gotten lucky with Samara, she wasn't so sure that she would do so again. _Commander Shepard's not here to protect you this time,_ she thought, studying the asari's back. _If you make a mess of this, you're going to have to deal with it yourself._

* * *

_**Samara.**_

She woke up with the woman's name in her mind, like a whisper, a susurrus. She did not want to think about her but unchecked by her waking will, images of the asari flooded her memory. Samara floating down towards a mercenary she was about to kill. Samara, standing by the waterfall on the planet where she had to choose between a man's need for revenge and the safety of miners trapped in a blaze that had been born from that need. Samara, naked, touching her as their bodies and minds became one...

Jane opened up her eyes, feeling the craft descend, saying nothing when she realised that both Miranda and Jacob were sitting in the cockpit. She could not see Jacob but Miranda was sitting in front of her, her shoulders slightly hunched even as she kept her back straight.

_Something's bothering her. Jacob?_

She couldn't say, couldn't ask.

_Samara._

She took a breath, her first one since waking and blew it out slowly, wondering for the life of her why the asari felt so _close_. Miranda must've heard her sigh for she turned around, the worry in her blue eyes fading as she gave her a critical look. _Ever the professional Ms Lawson._

"Commander," she said. "We've arrived."

Jane nodded and stood up, moving into the already cramped cockpit.

"Any word from Garrus and Jack?"

Miranda nodded. "They're going to give us half an hour to get into position, then Jack starts destroying things." She paused and for once Jane couldn't tell what was in her silence. Distain? Dismay? Envy? Did she admire Jack's ability to lose control?

"How much time do we need to get into position?" Jane asked. "What's the activity on the surface like?"

"I've been listening to some ground chatter," Jacob said. "Everything's good from their alert status point of view, though I did pick up something that might be problematic."

_There's always something,_ Jane thought dryly and gave Jacob a look, encouraging him to say more.

"I heard them discussing some of their schedules," he said. "And one of the teams is set to interrogate a female human prisoner. In a batarian system, I can't imagine that there might be anybody else but Kenson. Mostly batarians just sell their prisoners off as slaves. I might be wrong of course, but that's what my gut tells me."

Jane nodded and glanced at Miranda to see if she had any objections. Her XO was simply looking at her, awaiting direction. There was something dark in her large blue eyes and Jane once again wondered what she and Jacob had discussed while she was dosing. She doubted that it had anything to do with the mission because then Miranda would've addressed it.

"Do we have a space to land?" Jane asked, briefly scanning the telemetry on the radars as well as quickly glancing out of the window to look at the terrain. As they had planned, it was evening which would serve their purpose quite well.

_Interrogation?_ She thought suddenly. _This time of night? It must mean that it's not the first one._

She made a mental note to take more medigel just in case.

"Right," she said. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we? If possible, send a message through to Garrus. Tell them that we are ready whenever they are. I want us off of this planet as quickly as possible. Hopefully this will be a quick in and out."

* * *

**They kept the victims in a clinic on the other side of Omega. **Despite Omega's high death toll, there were very few morgues in the hollowed out meteor. Bodies that weren't claimed immediately were cleared out and spaced with the other debris of the station. Asura suspected that they were kept here only by special request from Aria.

Having spent a lot of time in Mordin's clinic and also being a part of how Abby was establishing hers, the Ardat Yakshi could tell that this clinic wasn't of the same calibre as that of the salarian's. Sensitive to the mood of the place, Asura could feel people's desperation and even their fear. It made her shiver and she was more than happy to let Phora lead the way and do most of the talking. They met with a hard faced asari doctor who hardly batted an eye at Phora's presence. She took them to the back of the slightly foul smelling clinic and left them in a small storage room that held the two bodies. Asura watched her leave, feeling slightly better about Phora's appearance. Through Aria and this woman's attitude she could tell that they didn't really feel that the Justicar had any power here. Custom and law on Thessia might've dictated it, but now... They were far from asari space.

And, on Omega, people did what they had to do to survive.

"What do you think?"

Phora's cool tones pulled her away from her train of thought and she turned to the asari, seeing that she was already standing over one of the bodies. Asura tried not to show any reaction as she moved to the body, her memories returning to the batarian she had killed on Illium shortly after she had met Abby. _His fear had been sweet, his horror..._

"It..." She didn't know what to say and took a moment to collect her thoughts. She approached the body and studied it, looking at his face and his naked body. Phora chose to come and stand beside her. Although she wasn't sure whether the asari intended it that way, she felt threatened by it. _Can they sense us? Can she?_

"Something doesn't feel right." She said it the moment the thought came to her and regretted uttering it out loud. She could sense Phora's intrigue and pleasure immediately.

"How so?" To Asura's relief, she stepped away abruptly and moved to the head of the table, looking at her in expectation.

Asura's mouth felt very dry as she ran her gaze over the body again and slowly reached down and touched the victim's arm. _At least when I leave my kills, they are still warm, some still breathing... _She pushed the thought away immediately.

"Look at his arms," she said. "There are faint ligature marks. Treated. But look..." She forced herself to enclose her hand around his wrist and bring it up. "You can see it here where his skin lightens. If this... From what I know... Ardat Yakshi take their victims willingly. They can't help it. I stayed with Lenelle, willingly." _As Abby stays with me..._

"Very good," Phora murmured. "Do you sense anything else?"

Asura shook her head, not sure what to say. Phora smiled at the answer, not disappointed but rather came to her side again, putting her hand over her wrist and getting her to put the batarian's arm down. She did not like the way Phora's touch felt at all.

"Feel the body," the Justicar said softly. "Weigh it in your mind. Do you feel anything? Sense anything?"

Uneasy and worried that she might be giving the _wrong_ answers, Asura took a steadying breath and tried to do what the Justicar told her. It was an uncomfortable process and she found herself pulling away from the dead energy to just shake her head.

"I don't sense anything," she pointed out and looked towards the other body – a turian female. Now that she knew what to look for, she could pick out the faint ligature marks.

"Exactly," Phora purred and went to the other body, touching the turian's wrists. "You don't feel anything. Ardat Yakshi kills leave a certain... emptiness. A weightlessness. It's hard to quantify but it's something you pick up with experience. Did you ever examine any of this Lenelle's kills?"

Asura grimaced and shook her head. _Abby. Abby was one of her victims..._ "I never went back to the bodies," she said. _Not even my own._

"Pity," Phora said. "You would've learned a lot." She looked at the turian, the frown on her features almost twisting the ruins on her face. Asura didn't do anything but look at her, waiting for her to say anything. When she didn't, she turned back to the body and frowned.

"Tell me something Justicar," she said, trying to keep her voice filled with respect. "Why do you think these kills are marked as an Ardat Yakshi's? Why did they classify them as such? And how does Aria know about it?"

She could tell that her question made Phora pause. The asari shifted away from the bed and frowned at the wall.

"Good question," she murmured. "Let's call the doctor. Have her explain this, because I don't see the connection."

_To Be Continued..._


	9. Chapter 9

_**AN: My thanks for all the reviews and favourites that this story as well as my others has received. I really appreciate it. **_

**Chapter 09: Infiltration.**

They found the bodies in a pit quite close to the route that would take them to the upper levels of the compound after they had managed to sneak in through a seemingly forgotten doorway.

Jane looked at the heap of dead batarians, some of the corpses already so rotten and decomposed that they were beyond recognition. The macabre dump was made even worse by a family of varren that seemed to have made their home there. They had been attacked by the creatures when they first entered the tunnels. Miranda and Jacob had dealt with most of them through biotics because Jane had wanted to limit weapons fire so as not to attract unwanted attention. The strange thing was that, after the team had killed about three of the varren, the rest of the pack seemed to hang back as if they knew that they would not be able to match the humans. Jane could feel them looking at her but none attacked.

_Too damned smart, _she thought and turned her attention to the bodies. Most were alien and showed signs of wounds other than the varren bites.

"They probably have the prisoners fight down here," Jacob said. "I've heard that batarians do that."

Jane grimaced but said nothing, thinking about Elysium and the soldiers that had fallen or had gone missing in those terrible months. _What did the batarians do to them?_ One or two had showed up at the end of the skirmish but they had been raving mad and maimed almost beyond repair. Jane found herself wondering how many of them were still alive or who had found solace at the end of the weapon that they had been taught to wield.

_Will that happen to me?_ She thought. _When all of this is done, will I end up going mad?_

"We should get going," Miranda whispered - the tension in her voice cutting through Jane's thoughts. "We only have a small window of opportunity."

_And Jack's already out there, putting herself at risk._ Jane looked at her and nodded, motioning her to lead the way. Miranda had a diagram of the facility on her omnitool and as she was still not comfortable with shooting, Jane wanted the biotics in front to deal with any immediate threats. She admired the way Jacob and Miranda flowed together as they worked. They didn't get in each other's way and rarely communicated with more than a glance or two. Jane had her own omnitool set to scan for any monitoring equipment but the corridors didn't seem to have any security what so ever. She suspected that the batarians did not want their _entertainment_ filmed as that kind of barbaric behaviour would most certainly abolish any chance they had to get that seat on the council that they've been so keen on.

The corridor they were moving through became better maintained and soon, the three found themselves in front of a locked doorway. Jane waited as Miranda scanned the door, troubled by the worry she saw on her XO's face.

"We need to get into another complex," Miranda whispered. "I had hoped that we'd find a corridor leading there from this one but it's been sealed off. What's the radio communications like Jacob?"

The dark man grimaced and made a motion with his hand. "Hot," he said. "They're calling up all available ground units in an attempt to try and neutralise this 'unknown' threat. We're going to have to start moving quickly, I don't think we have as much time as we need."

Jane nodded to that as she had already started to feel uncomfortable. "Jacob, I think you should go back to the shuttle," she said. "In the event that our way out isn't clear, I want you to make that we can be picked up. With most of the spare units focused on Jack I don't think we'll encounter a lot of resistance." She glanced at Miranda to see if she'd object but her XO nodded.

"That way you can also make sure that they don't discover the shuttle," Miranda added. "There's no telling where they'll be sending people."

Jane suspected that if she had asked her to go then the woman would've been saying something completely different. But, there had been a reason she had chosen Jacob because he simply nodded without objection and rushed back down the corridor. He had always been a follower and obeyed both her and Miranda's orders without question. Jane wondered what would happen the day they contradicted each other and hoped that it would never come.

She turned back to her XO when Jacob was gone and searched her gaze for any indication that she wasn't ready to move outside but Miranda simply gave her a brief nod and started hacking the door without being prompted.

"Let's get this over with," she said. "The less time we spend on this batarian piss pot the better."

Jane chuckled, watching as Miranda's omnitool cracked the code. "Did they teach you that kind of language at university Ms Lawson?"

The woman gave her a dry smile but her features went back to business when the lock beeped for attention. Looking at Shepard for conformation, she pushed it open and disappeared off into the miserable night. It had been raining ever since they arrived and Jane vaguely wondered what season the planet was in. It didn't matter of course, the rain helped obscure them and made the guards less vigilant - not that they saw any as they made their way through to the building indicated on Miranda's omnitool. Jane had tuned her radio to the batarian frequency to hear whether they suspected a second group of infiltrators. So far, all their attention was focused on Jack's assault and Jane hoped that it would stay that way.

Miranda didn't say anything as she veered off to the left with Jane following her closely. She saw the door through which they intended to go but just as she was about to move past Miranda so that she could open it, it slid open by itself. Two guards rushed out, pausing when they saw them. It took the batarians a few fatal seconds to realise that they weren't part of the guards. Miranda threw them back with a biotic wave and Jane quickly moved forward, knocking one out and shooting the other in the head. She was about to turn back to the one she had hit but Miranda was there before her, coldly raising her gun to the batarian's head and firing a single shot. She didn't flinch when she executed him but simply called on her biotics again and raised both bodies, flinging them into the corridor.

"Let's hope nobody heard that," Miranda said as she pushed some of her dark wet hair out of her face. "Come on, we have to be close."

Jane did not argue, her XO's tone did not permit it but as she followed the woman into the bowels of the batarian prison she could not help but remember the first day she saw her when they were fighting their way off of the Lazarus station. Cold and calculated, she had found herself thinking that she could not trust Miranda Lawson.

But she had been wrong, as she had been about so many other things since her resurrection.

* * *

"**A few months ago there was another Ardat Yakshi here," the doctor was speaking in a monotonous voice.** "She hunted in the lower Afterlife area. I had quite a few bodies to study back then. Mostly club goers, mostly mercenaries with no family. Nobody anybody would miss which was a striking enough similarity between the kills for me to fill in the blank spaces. They had been chosen specifically to disappear."

Listening to the doctor, Asura could not stop herself from feeling a rise in excitement and anticipation as her mind conjured up imagery of what it must've been like to hunt in the lower club. To have that freedom to just be able to select a kill and... She shivered suddenly and hugged herself which immediately brought the doctor's attention to her.

"Does this upset you?"

Asura blinked and tried very hard not to show her discomfort when she felt Phora's gaze also shift towards her.

"I find it disturbing that you speak of bodies," she said. "Plural, not singular. It means she must've hunted here for some time." She paused. "My partner has decided to make her home in Omega. I don't like to hear how easy it is for a killer to..." _Hypocrite. _"Just disappear here."

Phora raised her brow in curiosity but it was the doctor who snorted dryly. She sat back from her desk and lit a cigarette.

"Don't fool yourself," she said dryly and took a slow drag. "There are a lot of killers here. Coming back to your question," she turned back to the Justicar, "I found the same anatomical anomalies on these bodies that I had on those kills. Brain haemorrhages and nerve damage in selected locations. I know what I saw then and I know what I'm seeing now. Only biotics can cause that type of damage. And only an Ardat Yakshi knows how to kill with such..." her mouth twisted with distaste. "Flare."

Asura expected Phora to argue but the Justicar simply nodded and stood up. "We've acquired everything that we can learn from your clinic," she said. "Asura?" Phora turned to her - clearly expecting her to get up but she couldn't, not immediately.

"Forgive me Doctor," she said. "But did you notice that those victims had been restrained?"

She could almost feel the way the doctor dismissed her as she took another slow drag from her cigarette. "What point are you trying to make?"

Her bluntness irritated Asura and it took a lot of self-control not to try and manipulate the asari into being more compliant. She knew that Phora would pick up on it _immediately._

"They were restrained," she said, keeping her voice level. "Both the Justicar and I noticed it. I realise that you say you looked at the nerve damage and haemorrhaging but... didn't that detail give you pause? Ardat Yakshi don't need to restrain their victims... from what I've heard." She knew that she put the latter in too late but there was nothing she could do about it now.

The doctor did not seem amused and finished her cigarette before she burned it completely with a biotic flame. "Compliant or not," she said. "There are a lot of sexual habits I would rather not think of. I brought these bodies under Aria's attention because that is what she asked of me. I don't want to know more. If you want to dig, go right ahead."

Asura wanted to say more, but Phora put a hand under her arm and pulled her up – leaving no space for argument. "I thank you for your help Doctor," she said and inclined her head, a gesture that didn't appear to be as respectful as one would've thought it to be. "When we have more questions, we'll come your way. Also if more bodies show up, let us know."

The doctor did not bother rising with them but simply nodded and dropped her attention to her paperwork. Asura tried to get a feel for her before they left, to try and understand why she was _so_ blunt but she could think of nothing. Her displeasure at the asari's behaviour must've shown on her face for Phora gave her a strange look when they finally exited the clinic.

"It's Omega," the Justicar said without enquiring. "Doctors, healers of any kind, they bear the brunt of it. Very little resources with the power of mind to realise that nothing will ever change. That there will always be more bodies, more diseases that this rock does not have the resources or _wish_ to fight. I'm surprised you're angry."

_Angry?_ Asura thought. _Is that what you read this as?_

She bit her lip and took a moment to choose her words carefully. "Abby is a doctor," she said. "And, we've had the privilege of working with a Professor Mordin Solus. Neither of them have that..." She motioned back to the clinic. "Attitude."

Phora made a considering sound and seemed to truly think about her statement. "They are children of the days," she said. "Professor Solus if I am not mistaken is a salarian. They hardly live in the blink of an eye. As is your human, they hardly live a tenth of our lifetime. They do not have the longevity to see that everything they try to change will eventually be for nothing. Our dear doctor has just accepted that nothing will ever change, regardless of what she thinks or feels. She does her bit on Omega but it's blunted her." She paused. "You have lived a very sheltered life."

Asura blushed but said nothing, not liking the way Phora was smiling at her again.

"So," the Justicar said happily. "What are your theories? Do we need to investigate this further?"

A part of her desperately wanted to say no, but Asura knew it wasn't going to be that simple. She thought it over for a bit then grimaced when a thought came to mind.

"I don't think it's an Ardat Yakshi," she said though she wasn't entirely sure about that either. "But, I think those kills were meant to look like it. The restraints really bother me. And you... Saying the bodies feel different? Yet, obviously these individuals were submitted to the same kind of power before they died." She paused, thought about how to proceed then frowned. "I think a wrong is being committed here and I think it's somebody who knows an Ardat Yakshi's signature. They might be trying to fake it to hide something else. Whether you think _that_ is worth investigating Justicar is up to you." She sniffed and looked around her miserably, regretting Abby's decision to stay on the mined asteroid. "There's a lot of other wrong doings on Omega."

The Justicar made a murmuring sound as she opened up her omnitool and flipped through some data. "This case has taken my interest," she said. "Did you know of Morinth?"

The name sent chills down Asura's spine and she could not hide the reaction. "Yes," she whispered. "She was... killed here. I gathered that it was her victims that the doctor spoke of. Unless there's another."

Phora smiled and motioned Asura to some low seating close by. "You never know," she said as she settled. "Now, here are some fun facts to process. The good doctor's first autopsy was done to roughly coincide with Morinth's presence in Omega. Now, interestingly enough – the deaths did not stop then but continued at broken intervals. Unfortunately, there's no way of telling whether these kills were like those on the slab now or true Ardat Yakshi kills." Her green eyes met Asura's. "Do you know when this Lenelle was on Omega?"

There was no use in lying. "I can tell you the dates that we were both here," Asura said quietly. "But I can't tell you if she came here in my absence. I'll have to consult my schedule though; I can't give you the dates off the top of my head."

Phora smiled with delight. "Of course not," she said. "But I would appreciate the information. For interest, how long have you been doing work for Aria?"

It took a lot of effort not to keep her features from changing as she shrugged. "A month, no more," she pointed out. "It's not a formal arrangement. I have connections in the mining field and a few..." She sighed. "Other talents as well. You know Aria, she uses what she can."

Phora's look became more intense as she studied her. "And what do you get out of it?"

Asura's answer was immediate and earnest. "Protection for Abby," she said. "She chose to make her home in this... this hell hole. I want to make sure that it's as safe as it can be. If it means helping Aria out with a few things, it's... worth it."

For a moment, Phora seemed truly interested. "Why didn't you just refuse her?" the Justicar queried. "As her partner, you could've told her that you do not want her to come here. You could've refused her."

_I could've,_ Asura thought. _I could've made her stay somewhere else but..._

"Recently," Asura said quietly. "Abby's had to listen to almost everybody who has ever cared for her tell her what she can and cannot do..." Memories of Abby's family members whom she had never met came and went in her mind. "I do not want to be among those. As you have said yourself, humans' lives are so short and so very precious. If she wants to make a difference here, if she wants to _try,_ who am I to stand in her way?"

She did not like how Phora was silent for several breaths. When the Justicar finally stirred, it was to smile at her in that way that Asura was slowly beginning to hate.

"I would very much like to meet this Dr. Gable," she murmured. "She sounds inspiring."

Asura shifted awkwardly and crossed her arms over her chest. "The humans I have met all are," she said, keeping her gaze down as she thought of Jane Shepard. "Now what do you want to do about this? What do we tell Aria?"

That brought Phora's attention back to where it should be and the asari frowned. "We don't need to tell her anything," she said but her features shifted to amusement again. "Or, _I_ don't. What you tell her is up to you but we don't have any answers yet." She paused for a few moments, clearly thinking.

"Do we both agree that these two bodies at least were not the work of an Ardat Yakshi?"

Asura nodded and risked taking the idea further. "But," she added carefully. "I think it's the work of someone who _knows_ about Ardat Yakshi. Who is perhaps running... tests? Experiments? Perhaps to see how they kill. Or to hide whatever it is they're doing to them when they are restrained. It's a leap but..."

"Not a bad one," Phora said with approval. "My question to that would be: Who knows about Ardat Yakshi apart from other asari? In our culture, it's not a topic to be explored. And, there's enough information about it on Thessia – such experiments does not need to be run."

Her stomach was still turning with nerves but something in this had finally taken Asura's attention. She wanted to _know_ who was doing this because they were putting her in danger. If these deaths had drawn one Justicar here, there was a lot of chance that it might draw another. She did not think that she would be able to fool two of them if ever Aria pointed the other in her direction as well. And there was certainly foul play involved.

_Who would know about us?_

Her world slipped out of focus for a moment and in her mind she remembered a conversation she never heard between Samara and a Commander Shepard.

_I find myself in need of your help Shepard... She is an Ardat Yakshi... _

_Shepard knew,_ Asura thought as she looked at Phora. _And Abby had seen it all in her previous life... On a screen but... _

"What are you thinking about?" Phora's voice was low, almost as if she was frightened of disturbing Asura's thoughts. Her words did not do that but instead did completely the opposite. With a nauseating clarity Asura knew that she would have to bring Phora close to Abby because the vet, with her memories she had brought from another world, might be able to provide some answers she could not give the Justicar.

"I think I know where we should go next," she said softly and could not stop herself from biting her lip. "There are... I think that I know someone who might be able to give us some answers. Or at least point us in a direction that might be worth exploring."

* * *

**They managed to successfully hide from more guards, but Jane began to realise that the deeper they went the more difficult it was going to be to fight their way out of the compound.** They had received no communication from any of their team members and it was difficult to tell if Jack was still attacking the base or whether the biotic had moved back to the shuttle. She hoped so for Jack's sake but dreaded to think what would happen if all the batarians came down there. The compound was a maze of tunnels and they had had to go down several levels before they finally found what they were looking for.

The section that followed was darker again, more like a storage area than a prison. Yet, when they moved through one doorway Jane began to see and _smell_ the evidence that people were kept down there. She and Miranda stuck close to the walls, their weapons trained as they tried to find Amanda Kenson. When they heard voices at the end of the corridor, Miranda and Jane knelt behind a large pile of crates to assess the situation. The voices were tense and talking about the attack outside. Jane also got the impression that they were waiting for someone but it was hard to tell. The voices moved away from them and she was about to get up and go when Miranda briefly touched her arm and motioned to the side. Jane frowned in the direction she was pointing and saw what looked like a dark little room. After a moment or two she realised that it wasn't just a room but a cell. She risked a glance over the crates then moved into the room when she saw that none of the guards were around.

The smell was overwhelming.

Jane's first instinct was to step out of the room again but Miranda was close behind her, forcing her to take a step deeper into the darkness. She gagged before she could stop herself but then took a firm control of her senses and stomach and looked around, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light. There was a body on the floor and the mass of blond hair that protruded from underneath the blanket pinned it as human.

_Damn_.

Miranda's seemed to struggle as well for a bit, but her sharp eyes never lost their focus as she motioned to the wall.

"Shepard look."

Jane had been in the process of kneeling next to the body and allowed momentum to take her knees to the floor. When she looked up at what Miranda was pointing though, she pushed herself up again immediately, her stomach as cold as ice. What she had first thought to be shadows on the wall was in fact blood. Unable to stop herself, Jane reached out and traced the edge of the shadow flinching when her eyes brought the shape of the reaper to life.

_We are infinite, the pinnacle of evolution... Before us, you are nothing..._

She shuddered and pulled away, looking at the rest of the wall that was littered with bloody hand prints. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Miranda kneel down beside the body and remove the blanket that had been pulled over it. The man did not look at peace in death, his mouth slightly open as his dead eyes still stared at the wall. There was a pool of blood around his one exposed wrist and when Miranda picked it up to study she grimaced and looked away.

"He chewed off his own wrists," she said solemnly and then glanced up at the wall. "The Reapers are coming."

Jane shuddered and knelt down beside him as well. She allowed her hand to slide over his face in an attempt to close his eyes but somehow it didn't quite work and man's lifeless orbs kept staring at the wall.

"Indeed," she whispered, feeling nauseous. "Probably one of Kenson's people. Let's get going, I don't want to give her any more chance to be driven to madness."

Miranda nodded tightly and pulled the blanket over the body again.

"I find myself hoping it was their torture that drove him to this," she whispered. "And not something else."

Jane shuddered and wondered how much credit to be put to Hackett's rumour of a reaper artefact. She did not comment but moved to the doorway again, glancing around to see if there were any guards. Two were walking towards them and Jane quickly pushed back into the cell, glancing at Miranda and signalling the number of assailants that were coming their way. Her XO made to move deeper into the cell as if to hide but Jane shook her head, wanting to be done with this mission and this place.

She raised her gun and after a second's pause, Miranda did the same. When the guards walked past, they did not give the guards time to pause or raise the alarm. The two women rushed out, killed the both of them and then ran up the corridor where they heard some alarmed shouting as the others heard the gunshots. They engaged in a brief fire fight with three batarians that came rushing through from the one room. Having lost the element of surprise it took a bit more fire power to dispel them. At their heart, Jane believed that batarians were every bit as ruthless as krogan and had been born for battle and brutality. Still, she and Miranda killed them all. She had only knocked the last one unconscious but Miranda came shortly after and killed him. When their gazes met over the bloody mess, she gave Jane a half hearted shrug and moved into the room from which they had all come.

"No witnesses," she said. "I don't want you implicated."

Jane glanced back at the batarian but nodded. "Thank you," she said simply. "Where would..." She paused, the room presenting her with the answer to the question she had not asked.

There was still one soul alive on this level.

The woman in the chair appeared to be Hackett's age and looked like the pictures that Jane had seen. She was strapped down, her clothes dirty, torn and bloody. Her face showed signs of a severe beating and Jane suspected that was not the worst of her injuries. She glanced at Miranda who took point by the door and approached the raised chair cautiously.

"Dr. Kenson?"

The machinery above the woman was emitting a low hum and for a moment Jane thought of Feron who had been tortured for nearly two years at the hands of the old Shadow Broker. Kenson hardly appeared to be breathing and it took another hail from Jane to get her attention. She had thought that her eyes would show fear and pain when they opened but Jane was startled by the intensity in her gray-green depths when they snapped open.

"Who are you?" she asked in a low voice even as Jane saw a trial of sweat move down her brow. She did not move immediately but tried to assess Kenson's mental state.

"Commander Shepard," she said shortly then realised abruptly that the low hum that she was hearing was also coming from the chair. It appeared to be sending low pulse of electricity through Kenson's body. She went round to the back of the contraption immediately and pulled the plug. Kenson's breath of relief was audible. "Hackett send us. Are you Dr. Kenson?" She had no doubt, but she wanted to hear the woman say it.

"Yes," the woman breathed and this time her voice held more emotion. "I am. Thank goodness you came." She paused and squirmed a bit. With the power of the chair down, Kenson could now break herself out of the restraints. She did so before Jane could reach the front again and stumbled out, pushing herself up against a nearby console. Her gaze danced from Miranda to Shepard, the light in them no less intense.

"Commander Jane Shepard?" She whispered and the way she said her name made Jane shiver. "I had heard you were alive." Her eyes darted to Miranda in question and Jane could tell immediately that she didn't know who she was. Yet, her gaze found the Cerberus emblem on Miranda's uniform and that certainly gave the older woman pause.

"The man who had been captured with you is not," Miranda said sharply. "We found his body, seems he killed himself during the night." She looked as if she wanted to add something about the way he died but then dismissed it. "We have to get moving."

Kenson hardly blinked which Jane found a little odd. She told herself that it was because the woman seemed to have distanced herself from her predicament to avoid the torture and abuse hurting her. If the batarians had been demanding information, Jane had no doubt that they had not extracted it from Kenson yet. The woman appeared as hard as the one she was facing right now.

"You're with Cerberus," Kenson pointed out, not quite accusing Miranda but her tone bordering on it.

"It's our cover," Jane said quickly. "And she's right, we have to get moving. If these guards alerted security before they attacked us our way out might already be blocked."

Kenson frowned then walked over to a guard in the hallway to take his gun from him. Her eyes were cold as she looked at his corpse and none of it left her as she turned back to Shepard.

"Why didn't you bring any more people?"

Traumatised or not, there was something in her voice that put Jane's back up and her reply was a bit harsher than it would've been under normal circumstances.

"We're looking at a major diplomatic incident if the batarians find out that I or the Alliance was involved," she said. "Now we have to get going, every minute we waste here we put more of my other people at risk."

Kenson glanced at her and nodded, checking her gun's thermal clip. As she did this, sudden sirens began to blare overhead and Jane knew, without listening to the radio transmissions that had been going over her head that the gig was up. The batarians knew that there were people inside their compound too.

"Let's go," she snapped and started moving without waiting for the others, knowing that Miranda would move with her and Kenson would if she was half as smart as everybody said. She did and stuck close by them as they ran back the way they came. The only time she faltered was when they passed the open cell of her colleague and it made Jane's heart soften a little because she did not miss the look of horror on Kenson's face. But, as quickly as the older doctor paused she moved again, her face determined even as she tried to shake away the image of what she saw.

Her lips moved in a whisper and Jane recognized the words immediately because she said them to herself so many times.

_The Reapers are coming..._

_To Be Continued..._


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN: Again my apologies for the delay. My time is very restricted at the moment. **_

**Chapter 10: Practice.**

**Halfway through the morning Abby found that she could not contain her curiosity anymore.** So when Mordin left to oversee a few things in his own clinic she closed all the doors, carefully secured the muzzle over a very complaint varren's head and let him out of the cage. She felt like a child again, full excitement and trepidation over what might happen. She had released the door lock pulled it open a little and then stepped back to see what the newly named _Oz_ would do.

He had watched her with bright curiosity as she settled on the other side of the room and pretended to continue packing out boxes as she had been doing all morning. She kept an eye on him but tried not to show any signs of anxiety. The varren sniffed the air and tried to open his mouth but the muzzle prevented him from doing so. Not that it would save her if he did attack, Abby decided. With the varren's claws and sheer size he'd be able to tear her to shreds. Luckily it didn't look aggressive at all as it finally pushed itself up onto its remaining three legs and cautiously limped out, pushing the gate open as it did so. Abby stopped what she was doing and watched Oz as he first rubbed his head against the crate and then moved to the left of the room to investigate the contents of some empty boxes. When he was satisfied he turned and peed against them. Abby got up to protest but then settled back down immediately when the varren's attention snapped to her. It made a throaty rumble and limped over to her, its head high and its eyes alert. Abby felt a moment's trepidation but quickly calmed herself and gave the creature a smile.

"Good dog," she murmured. "Happy to be out? I certainly would be if I was you. Come on Oz." She held out her hand, encouraging the animal to come closer if only to make sure that it understood it was approaching her on her terms. The varren didn't seem very bothered as it pressed its head into her hands and then moved it until her fingers brushed the muzzle straps. She gave it a half-hearted smile and shook her head.

"No lad," she said. "Not yet. Small steps alright? There's a good Oz." The varren settled down when it realised she wasn't going to remove the muzzle and put its head in her lap as it had the previous night. Abby snorted at the gesture, smiling when she realised that she was being manipulated. None the less she dropped her hand to the varren's face ad caressed its ridges. She allowed herself briefly to wonder about her own dog that she had left in her previous life but quickly pushed those thoughts away.

_This is home now and my life. The other does not exist here._

She sat with the varren for a bit then moved out from underneath him and carried on with her sorting, glancing at him every now and again to make sure that he was still alright. When Oz got up and started fussing again she took him by his muzzle and guided him to one of the larger enclosures in another room she had put in for her future patients. He was relatively compliant though he stopped to mark his territory against three more of her walls. Watching him finish with the last one, Abby found herself wondering how on earth she could house train an animal that was the size of a pony. And _where_ for that matter. It wasn't as if Omega had lush garden for him to frolic in. It might prove to be a challenge but Abby was happier now that she had decided to keep him. Mordin's insistence that he might protect her made her feel even more comfortable with the idea. The varren did not appear dangerous and seemed quite obliged to let her take the lead. She risked letting go of him to open up the door and took a moment to study him and see what he'd do now that he was free. Oz sat down at first in what she gathered was an attempt to get some weight off of his remaining hind leg. He breathed heavily for a moment, tried to open his mouth again and then pushed himself up, moving past her to the reception area. Abby watched him leave before she smiled to herself. She decided to leave him and quickly prepared an enclosure for him, putting down food and water.

She was about to call the varren back when she heard him snarl. A second later, her omnitool beeped, signalling her that the door was opening. Startled, Abby rushed to the reception area, not even bothering calling the varren back but yelling a warning to whomever was at the door.

"Get out! There's a varren..." She was cut off when she saw a flash of biotics which made her heart froze. She could think of only one biotic that would have free entry to her clinic and seconds later she found herself remembering how Asura could tear organics apart with her power. The thought made her yell in alarm and she pushed forward quickly.

_I just saved him,_ she found herself thinking. _Please..._

"Asura..."

Abby stopped and blinked. The asari standing in her doorway was not Asura and the vet took a step back even as Oz started snarling in fury. The varren was suspended in the air at an awkward angle, still alive. _For now._ Asura stood close by, her face tense. She had made to touch the other asari but her hand hovered in mid air.

"Please Phora," she was saying, her voice calm. "Please, that... This is one of Dr Gable's patients. I don't understand why he's out but... Abby?" Her indigo eyes turned to Abby and the emotion in them frightened the vet. She could tell that beneath her calm exterior, her partner was terrified of this newcomer.

Seeing that Oz wasn't in any immediate danger, Abby took another step back, remaining behind the counter that would eventually serve as the reception desk once she managed to find someone. The other asari turned, her gaze sharp yet filled with curiosity as she studied first the varren and then Abby.

"Do you think that you can restrain this creature before it attacks us?" The stranger demanded, her tone not leaving any space for nonsense. "I don't feel comfortable with letting him go. Nor, I suspect, does your lover."

_Lover?_ Abby wanted to deny it but then looked at Asura again. She didn't know how to respond though she found herself gravitating towards the struggling Oz none the less.

"Put him down," she said, her mind beginning to catch up again and get over the shock of this sudden appearance of a strange asari. A part of her could never fully trust the race. Lenelle's attack on Omega had taught her to fear not only biotics but also the complexity of these aliens' intelligence. Asura was relatively easy to understand but even Abby could not always comprehend how her mind worked. She felt that the longevity of the asari gave them a perspective that very few other races could fathom. Or trust.

"I'll hold him."

Abby could tell that the asari doubted her words but she did not let that deter her as she stepped within arm's reach of the varren. She purposefully ignored both with her but focused all of her attention on Oz, trying to get the creature's attention. It was furious, she could tell and she was glad suddenly that she had decided to leave the muzzle on. His claws bothered her but she hoped that he would not turn them against her. He had seemed very placid in her company and a part of her was almost willing to believe that he was putting up this big show to protect her. She heard someone shift behind her and _felt_ Asura come closer, it could be no other.

"I'll help," her supposed _lover_ whispered but Abby shook her head determined.

"I'll do it," she said without looking behind her. "He's my responsibility. I let him out." She glanced back then, not at Asura but at the strange asari. The strangers gaze was on both of them and Abby could tell immediately that she was dangerous. There was no other way to describe it, her eyes were too bright. Too eager. In some ways, she reminded Abby of Lenelle.

"Well then," the asari said pleasantly. "Let's do this. You should probably grab him by that... collar. The field is very weak it won't harm you."

Abby looked at Oz and, ignoring Asura's whispered protest, reached out and grabbed the muzzle as tightly as she could as the asari lowered the varren completely to the floor. She could feel the power licking around her fingers but, as promised, the field was quite weak. None the less, Abby found herself shivering, again thinking about Lenelle and that desperate fight that they had had in the alley when she thought that the Ardat Yakshi was going to kill Jack before her eyes. She forced the image from her mind, worried that Oz might pick up on the impression of her fear and gave the asari a curt nod, signalling to her that she could let the varren go completely.

Oz strained against her the moment her barriers disappeared, nearly yanking Abby off of her feet, but she had planted her weight firmly and pulled his face to the side, urging him to stay with her. When he didn't listen immediately, she barked a sharp command and threw her weight back. She managed to turn his head but he kept attempting to move forward. Abby strained against him harder, then her knee and ankle buckled without warning and she lost her footing. Before he could yank her off of her feet, Asura grabbed her and reached out to take the varren as well. Abby didn't protest but moved with Asura in order to get her balance. Now that there were two of them at his head the varren seemed to lose his focus and finally allowed himself to be moved and manoeuvred out of the room. Asura didn't say anything as the varren grudgingly started moving with them, limping more prominently as they dragged it down the corridor. Realising that she was of almost no help, Abby let go of her hold on the muzzle and moved ahead, opening the door again and showing Asura the enclosure she had prepared for the varren. It was only after the asari had put Oz into the cage that she turned to Abby, her eyes bright with what the vet suspected to be anger.

"Why is he out?" She hissed under her breath. "He's dangerous Abby!"

Abby immediately rounded on Asura. "Not as dangerous as your companion!" She retorted in a hushed whisper, in mo mood for a lecture. She motioned out the door. "At least he's muzzled! Who is she Asura? What is she doing here?"

Asura frowned at her and double checked the enclosure's lock, giving the varren a warning look as she did so. It snorted at her and moved to the corner where it lay down.

"She's a Justicar, Abigail."

Her words made Abby go cold and all of the anger and irritation that she had felt vanished. Abby looked at Asura, unable to think of what to say.

"What?" she whispered and felt stupid. "Why?"

Asura, who was normally so cautious about touching her without permission, reached out and took her arm, pulling her closer so that they could speak even softer. "Aria sent me to investigate some murders," she whispered. "According to her, Phora just showed up and offered to help. We want to ask you some questions. Nothing else."

Abby shivered under Asura's touch and felt her hands twitching. She thought of her leg that had almost given way, then realised that this wasn't the time. _A Justicar..._ _Save us..._ She swallowed and looked out of the door again, wondering if Phora was close by. _Wait... murders?_ She turned back to Asura. "What would I know if these murders?" she said. "I didn't kill anybody."

There was a pause as Asura blinked at her, then barked a laugh as she squeezed her shoulder. "Of course not," she said. "Of course you didn't. I know that. This is about the way that they were murdered." She paused then grimaced and said the last quite quickly. "The bodies look like Ardat Yakshi kills. You can understand why a Justicar would be interested in that."

The news was startling. Abby looked at Asura then at the door. The gesture prompted Asura to move towards it, pulling her forward. She didn't say anything else; didn't defend herself or proclaim her innocence. _Of course she didn't do it._ Abby shook her head and pulled out of Asura's grip when they exited the room.

The Justicar was still standing where they had left her, her eyes amused as her gaze danced across the room. Now that Abby knew, she could pull up some similarities between Phora and Samara. The way they carried themselves, the judgement in their eyes and the unmistakable air of power that hung around them. Yet, there were definitively some differences as well. Samara had always looked kind and introspective, as if she cared because she could see into the soul of you. Abby knew she was a hard woman but the life that she had chosen had not stopped her from seeing others. Phora, Abby suspected, was exactly the opposite. She reminded Abby of a hunting dog, her eyes bright with delight as she pursued her kill.

Abby shuddered at the image and schooled her features to calm as they approached Phora. She held out her hand and smiled politely, trying to wrap around her a professional air that she usually kept for new clients. The asari looked at her hand with curiosity, then at Asura. At first, Abby thought that she did not understand the gesture, but then Phora reached out and took her hand, not shaking it but swiftly enclosing it with both of hers.

Her hands were ice cold.

"May the goddess shine on your establishment," the Justicar said fluidly. "And I ask, in her presence, for you to grant me leave to enter." She smiled amused, her gaze meeting Abby's. "And may I beg forgiveness for my rash actions; I was under the impression that the varren was dangerous."

Abby found herself in the unique position of finding that she did not like the asari's tone of voice. She did and said everything right, her eyes were alert and friendly and her tone of voice held _just_ enough respect as one would show to a stranger . Still, there was _something_ that made her skin crawl.

_An Ardat Yakshi herself?_ Abby wondered suddenly and then shook the idea away. The justicars would never allow an Ardat Yakshi among them. Or, so she thought anyway. She could not claim to have any in-depth information about the asari.

"It's my fault," she said. "I shouldn't have let him out. He made a mess of the place as it is so I apologise for the smell." She glanced at Asura, unconsciously seeking some reassurance. "Asura tells me that you need my help?"

Phora smiled at her and looked around the room. "So she says," she pointed out. "I'm curious about it myself." The asari turned her polite smile on Asura and Abby was relieved to see that she wasn't the only one negatively affected by the woman's tone. She didn't think that Phora could see it but knowing Asura, Abby could tell that she was secretly grinding her teeth.

Asura nodded tightly and turned to Abby, motioning down the corridor. "Is your office ready Abby? Can we speak there?"

Abby quickly confirmed with a nod and headed toward it immediately, wishing to break away from the Justicar's gaze. Her office wasn't entirely sorted yet. It was more of a storage space than an office anyway, but it had sufficient room for everybody to sit down. She kept trying to imagine what they would want from her, but her mind drew up a blank. Obviously Asura had thought of something that she couldn't. In the office, she took the furthest chair available; slipping in behind her desk to give some semblance of authority. Asura motioned Phora to the only other chair in the room and she herself pulled an unopened crate closer.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments which only seemed to touch Asura and Abby. Phora looked around the room with interest, her eyes bright as she surveyed the medical cabinets that Abby had put in where she could place her controlled substances.

"How long have you been in Omega?" The justicar finally asked, turning her gaze back to Abby. "You seem to have a lot of work to do still."

Abby crossed her fingers in front of her and shrugged, glancing at Asura. "We've been here semi-permanently for a month or so," she replied. "I've had to get my license to practise here and getting everything in place takes time."

Phora nodded, still smiling. "And why did you decide to practice _here_?" she queried. "Omega's not a friendly place."

Again, Abby found herself looking towards Asura, wondering what she had told her. The line of questioning felt irrelevant to why they had said they wanted to see her. Asura's face gave her no answer as to what she should say, so she sighed and settled the easiest explanation.

"Aria said Omega needed a vet," Abby pointed out. "And I didn't have any other options at the time she presented the offer. It felt like a good place, a good choice." She thought of Oz and smiled slightly. "This is a terrible place, I know that – but I can make a difference."

Phora nodded with interest, then glanced at Asura. "What have you told her?" She queried, getting to the reason they were there. It wasn't hard to miss that her partner was uncomfortable under Phora's gaze, but she sat forward and gave Abby an apologetic look, the type she normally did when she was about to bring up an uncomfortable topic.

_Like intercourse... _

"I told her of the murders," she said. "And how they were presented. As I told you, Abby as some experiences with Ardat Yakshi as she encountered both Lenelle and to some extent, Morinth."

Both names chilled Abby, but it was the latter that unsettled her. She had not encountered Morinth personally, having only 'experienced' Samara's fight with her daughter through a television set. She could not stop herself from frowning at Asura, wondering why she brought it up. Through the sharing of their memories, she was the only one who knew the full truth of Abby's existence in this world. She and Aria of course, but Aria didn't know the details.

"I did not encounter Morinth," Abby said defensively. "I never met her."

Phora's sharp eyes turned to her immediately. "But you know about her," she said. "You knew what she was. I can't imagine that a lot of humans know of Ardat Yakshi."

Abby made to answer but Asura interrupted her.

"Abby was on the Normandy during that time," she said. "And that is the conundrum that we're facing. Abby, we believe that the bodies we saw were made to look like Ardat Yakshi kills. As Phora said, not many humans and very few other species, for that matter, _knows_ about this... subset of the asari. We want to know if you have any thoughts on who might've had some inside information. It's vital that we find these killers quickly."

Still uncomfortable, Abby made sure to give Asura a dirty look, not caring whether Phora saw it or not. She did not like recalling the information that she had gathered on the Mass Effect universe in her previous life. It was easy to just accept that her life had started on Banrio.

"I still don't know how I can be of help," she pointed out coldly but could immediately tell that Phora did not think the same. The justicar leaned forward eagerly, her eyes bright as she studied Abby.

"You knew Morinth," she said. "And, of course, you know Samara."

Abby nodded, unwilling to comment as she remembered the first nightmare that she had had. She had come to her senses in the justicar's arms, the safety in that embrace grounding her to the world and memories that were her own. Their interaction had never been easy, but after the initial mishap of their first meeting, Samara had always treated her kindly. _People have more patience with those who are dying slowly..._

"And what did you know about Morinth?" Phora persisted. "What happened in that time?"

Feeling a touch of stubbornness, Abby shrugged and looked away. "I don't see how that is relevant to now," she said and did not miss the way Asura groaned softly. "It was a trying time for Samara. As you two know each other, I believe you should take it up with her."

Phora's look became dangerous. "You cannot judge the relevance of my questioning," she said. "If you yourself does not understand what we want from you. The smallest detail can lead to a clue, a location, and _identification_ of the one responsible."

Abby didn't comment immediately, but looked at Phora, once again trying to control her memories of Lenelle. She had the sensation of white noise in the back of her mind and she remembered watching Samara as she killed her daughter. _Find peace in the embrace..._

She shivered and sat up. "I don't know what I can tell you that will be of value," she said again. "All I can say is that Samara had approached Shepard in private, asking her to help her find this Ardat Yakshi called Morinth. Later, she revealed to her that it was her daughter and that the transport she had left Illium on had put her on Omega. She hunted and killed here. A young girl called Nef was one of her victims and that caught Samara's attention. I know that the Normandy received Nef's autopsy report because they..." She trailed off, not sure whether she should bring herself into it. They had used the autopsy report to compare the damage after Lenelle's attack to the symptoms she was showing. She had to drop her head for a moment and rub her brow, feeling the impression of the dead Ardat Yakshi's hand on her throat.

_You will not enjoy this._

"The Normandy has Nef's autopsy report," she said again. "So... If you want to know who might know about Ardat Yakshi, I'd say start with Cerberus. You never know what they're up to."

Phora studied her for a moment longer then sat back, her features becoming calm and distant. "Cerberus you say?" she queried. "Not the Normandy?"

Abby nodded with conviction. "Yes," she said. "None of Shepard's crew would do this and they have been busy elsewhere. Save for Miranda Lawson and a young human woman called Jack, they do not have any biotics on board. Or. They do, Jacob's there as well but he's the weakest of the lot. And they only docked today, your bodies showed up earlier, yes?"

Phora nodded slowly and looked at Asura. "Have you had any experience with Cerberus before?"

The Ardat Yakshi didn't turn to look at Phora but kept her gaze on Abby, her eyes unreadable. "No," she said. "But, I can second what Abigail said about the Normandy's crew. I have met Shepard and none of the people she associates herself with would do this. Cerberus? From what I've heard, they are quite capable. I forgot of their association with the Normandy." Abby could hear her regret and knew why. If she had thought of this earlier, she would not have had to bring _this_ woman here.

"Interesting," Phora murmured. "You have to wonder whether they have shown any interest in Ardat Yakshi after their encounter with Morinth." She looked at Abby. "Can you answer this?"

Abby did not flinch when meeting her gaze. "No," she said coldly. "But Cerberus is not above experimentation on living subjects. And they are forever looking for ways to forward the human race. It's not hard to imagine that they couls see great merit in the potential of Ardat Yakshi's as, to my understanding, they can be among the strongest biotics alive."

Phora nodded and glanced at Asura, a gesture that Abby didn't particularly like. "Indeed," she said. "But they have to be monitored closely."

Abby frowned at her. "You mean killed," she pointed out a bit defensively and was surprised when Phora's amusement returned to her.

"No," the Justicar pointed out. "I myself don't fancy killing all Ardat Yakshi that I meet. You two should know, having encountered them yourself in some form of another, that we do show mercy. The Justicars, in conjunction with the asari high council run a sanctuary where these... victims of their own genetics can go to be rehabilitated."

Unable to help it, Abby felt an uncontrolled wave of anger flare up in her and she could not keep her mouth shut. "And what do you mean by rehabilitation?" she said, thinking of all the meetings that she had had to attend when she found out she had Huntington's Disease. They had called _that_ rehabilitation as well. "Do you brainwash them until they are compliant in accepting their fate and the way of life others try to choose for them? Or do you actually try and cure the disorder..."

"Abby," Asura said suddenly, interrupting her tirade. "Please."

Abby blinked at Asura and realised that she was standing up right with her one hand pressed firmly against the table for balance and the other one trembling in the air, frozen in a gesture that was directed at Phora. She blinked again and clenched her hand into a fist, slowly lowering herself to her seat. She didn't dare look at Phora but chose to look at her lap instead, studying her hands under the table.

_They're not trembling now..._

"I'm sorry," she said. "That was... uncalled for. I've had a long day." It was all she could think to say as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. She heard Asura take a deep breath and suddenly, cold fingers touched her chin. Phora had stood up and leaned forward across the table, her fingers caressing Abby's burning face.

"No need to apologise," she whispered, her warm breath touching Abby's nose. "It is... invigorating to see such passion. Quite invigorating." She smiled at Abby and leaned forward, brushing her hand backwards into Abby's hair. Abby shivered as she felt the woman's fingers curl into her hair. She sensed Asura shifting in her chair, but the Ardat Yakshi was frozen by her own fear and caution for the justicar. Abby closed her eyes in an attempt to still her rising unease and shuddered when Phora pressed her lips against her forehead.

"The goddess smiles upon such passion," she whispered, her lips moving against Abby's skin. "And will bless you for it if you implement it correctly." She pulled away a little so that she could meet Abby's gaze. "Fear me not, for I serve the code and it's justice." She let go of her abruptly and pulled bag, turning to look at Asura.

"Are we done here?"

Asura nodded, her eyes wide with fear. She did not look at the justicar but at Abby, who still sat as she was, frozen and terrified. The vet met her partner's gaze and had to stop herself from getting up and going to her. She shuddered when Phora's gaze returned to her, its strength so powerful that it felt like a rope pulled across her bare skin.

"Do you have any suggestion as to where we might go to get more information on Cerberus's activities?" she queried. "The Normandy perhaps?"

Abby shook her head, struggling to formulate a sentence. "I don't know," she said. "I can go to them an ask. But they're not associated with Cerberus anymore. I told you. Aria perhaps. She knows of everything that happens here."

Phora gave Abby a kind smile. "Then we will do that," she said. "And I would appreciate it if you go and speak to your friends. As I said, you never know where information might be lurking." She turned to Asura. "Do you want to stay here or are you going to accompany me back to Aria?"

Asura started to shake her head but Abby met her gaze quickly which made her nod slowly. "I'll... come with you," she said. "Abby... Will you be alright?"

Still trying to gather herself, Abby tried to give Asura a light smile. "I have a varren to keep me company," she said. "And tons of boxes to unpack. So, I'll be fine. Hear what Aria says." She hoped that Asura would understand that she did not want the justicar and the de facto ruler of Omega to converse on their own. She had no idea what Aria was planning when she decided to throw Asura and Phora together. And a part of her couldn't help but wonder whether it wasn't Aria herself who planted those murders, just to draw a justicar's attention to Omega.

Phora was already by the door and watching the two of them with a now vague curiosity. All the sharpness that she had shown before had disappeared and Abby could not help but think that the asari might be a little crazy. Or, not crazy but fanatical. She reminded Abby of a religious zealot. Still watching Asura, Abby got up and moved to her partner, pulling her up and giving her a hug, not caring what the justicar saw. She hoped in fact that the justicar would see what she needed to see in order to realise that Asura was not a threat.

Asura was surprised by the gesture but soon returned the hug, the warmth of her embrace steadying Abby and dispelling her unease. It also awakened that primal longing that she always felt for the Ardat Yakshi whenever they touched but she took firm control of her emotions and dared to press herself up onto her toes and plant a light kiss on Asura's cheek.

"Be careful," she whispered. "I'll let you know when I go to the Normandy. Maybe you can come along." She felt Asura's own need as the Ardat Yakshi traced a pattern over her back. There was a shift from the door and Phora left the room and the moment she did so, Asura's hand found its way underneath Abby's shirt, her finger tips gently caressing the bare skin of her hip. The promise was there, the hint that she wanted to do _more_ than just visit the Normandy. Abby closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel Asura's need and to admit hers to herself. Yet, she still took her own hand to Asura's and carefully removed it, not wanting to get carried away.

"Maybe," she whispered. "First, Aria. And Phora." She put her lips to Asura's ear, first kissing her cheek and then whispered softly her dire warning that stemmed from a suspicion she could not shake.

"I think she knows Asura, be careful of her."

_To Be Continued..._


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: Alive, barely and pretty shame faced over how long it took me to complete this chapter. I blame many things, all outlined in my profile. In summary, all you need to know is that I'm back and hopefully able to redeem myself for what seemed to have been a bit of a disaster of a previous chapter. Rest assured, this story will finish and at a faster pace than it's been travelling at. Thank you for still reading, it is much appreciated. ;) **_

**Chapter 11: Hunted.**

**The fighting had reached the point where they could not stick around for much longer. **Garrus and Jack, who at first had split up to see how much chaos they could create, reached the shuttle at about the same time. Garrus had hid the shuttle at a location where he could easily see if the prison guards spotted it but they had all remained inside the facility in an attempt to fend off Jack's attack. The biotic had moved in with the destructive force that was her trademark and Garrus had found himself thinking, not for the first time, that the young human wasn't someone he would want as an enemy. Although he could not deny that he took pride in his own marksmanship he didn't have the passion for killing that Jack had. She had moved in between the prison guards with a frightening bloodlust. She was good at what she did and, although it was terrible, Garrus had to admire Jack for being completely unapologetic about what she was. The ex-convict didn't seem to regret anything that happened to her, rather using every experience to mould her into a more efficient fighter.

And, she showed no remorse in what she did.

In her own way, she was just as much as tool as Thane Krios was. The only difference was that where Thane used to say that he did not choose his own marks, Jack had a mark on everybody that crossed her.

The guards in the prison had no idea what hit them and she had killed and injured more than a dozen before Garrus finally saw the need to call a retreat. A group of guards finally spotted the shuttle and was heading towards it. Garrus had shot one of them from his vantage point but the other guards took cover, making it more difficult for him to pick them out.

They had lost contact with Jane and Garrus's omnitool told him that the base had scrambled their communications. His first instinct had been to charge into the facility himself and lend assistance to the commander but he knew that it was a foolish move and he resolved to secure their own shuttle first. Two quick shots in succession was his signal to Jack to find him. It wasn't long after that the biotic charged into the undergrowth where the guards were hiding. One leapt up to shoot at her and Garrus shot him even before his finger reached the trigger. He took out another that tried to flee Jack's deadly biotics. The rest never stood a chance. Jack killed them within a few minutes.

When it was clear that there was nobody else around, Garrus left his hiding spot and ran to Jack who had taken a moment to bend over and catch her breath. He could see the fire in her eyes as she stared at the corpses and he made sure to call out to her so that he didn't startle her. She turned around and faced him, her expression fierce.

"They're closing up!" she snapped. "We're going to have to find another way inside!"

Garrus glanced back in the direction of the compound; then signalled Jack to start moving towards the shuttle.

"We're going to have to get airborne," he pointed out. "Find Jane's shuttle and make sure it's still secure. Have you had any radio communication with the other team?"

Jack sneered and shook her head, falling in step next to him. "Fuckers scrambled all the lines," she said. "This is why you need that fucking AI. EDI'd have stopped it."

Garrus nodded and picked up the pace, making sure to keep a good eye on the area.

"We discussed the possibility," he said. "We... Hang on..." he stopped abruptly and turned around, running back to the bodies. He went to a place where one of his kills had fallen. There was no point in searching any of jack's kills as there would be cery little on the corpses still left in working order. He salvaged a radio and hooked it up to his own. With it he could clearly hear the ground chatter of the guards. He listened for a bit then frowned at Jack.

"Let's get back to the shuttle," he said. "They know two groups have landed. They've also called in support from one of the other colonies but it will take them at least an hour to get here."

Jack grimaced and motioned to the radio.

"Jacob was monitoring the activity right?" she queried. "So we can use that to call them. If needed."

Garrus nodded and secured the radio, thinking that they could also use it to call in for backup – in the event that the other group got captured. What worried him though was how long it would take the Normandy to get there and whether they would be in time to ensure that any of their people did not get hurt.

* * *

**It did not take them long to realise that the way they had come was now blocked by batarian guards who were coming to make sure that their prisoners were still secure.** Jane and her group ran right into a cluster of them and the fight was quick and frantic. They were severely outnumbered and the batarians were better armoured, if not better armed. Unshielded, Kenson was a liability and she wasn't a particularly good fighter either. It became clear that they would not be able to push through the batarians, so Jane called a retreat, moving them deeper into the facility while Miranda kept the guards at bay with her biotics. Kenson was able to hacked the door, slamming it shut just before the batarians were able to push through. The three women took a moment to get their breath back, Jane grateful that Kenson was able to think on her feet.

Kenson in turn, trembling with exertion, was looking at Miranda – her eyes very sharp.

"You're Miranda Lawson," she said. "You are with Cerberus." She gave Jane an accusing look. Frowning, motioning to them to get away from the door, Jane wanted to defend her team mate but Miranda spoke before she could.

"Not anymore," the ex-Cerberus agent said coldly. "I am a member of Shepard's crew."

The way she said it made Jane incredibly proud and she realised once again that Miranda Lawson didn't need _anybody_ to help her defend herself. She was like that: strong, independent and completely set in her ways once she's made up her mind. Shepard knew without a doubt that the woman was one of the most valuable assets that she had gained in her struggle against the reapers. And, perhaps – even a more valuable friend.

Kenson made a considering sound as she fell instep next to the retreating pair, her sharp gaze still studying Miranda. "I met your father once, briefly," she pointed out. "He's a brilliant man. Hard. But brilliant. It was on earth. He had a presentation on genetic engineering at Melbourne. This was years ago, before your birth or perhaps directly after. He never said what he was planning to do. The ethics of it would most certainly have been debated."

Miranda flinched, causing Jane to turn around sharply. "This is not the time to discuss this," she said. "We need to find a way out of here. I have a map of the facility, but it's difficult to determine where our best exit would be. Miranda, have you heard anything from Garrus or Jack?"

Pulling herself together, her XO shook her head sharply. "I believe that they've scrambled all alternative lines of communication," she said and tapped her ear. "They know about us now. From what I can gather they're pulling most of their people in here to try and flush us out." Her mouth pressed into a thin line. "They are also sending ground teams to try and find our transportation."

Jane grimaced, thinking about Jacob and hoped that he would have the sense to be able to avoid capture.

"We need to find a way to communicate with Garrus and Jack," Jane said. "I want them to retreat if they're still fighting, secure the shuttles. There won't be any point to escaping this facility if we don't have any means to get off the planet." She paused and frowned. "What do you think is the chances of them having secured a radio?"

Miranda's eyes brightened immediately. "Knowing Garrus, he's definitively monitoring the chatter," she pointed out. "Give me a moment, I'll get a radio from one of the fallen guards." She turned back down the corridor towards the cells. Jane stopped immediately, keeping her attention on the corridor they had come from. She felt a chill as she did this and realised that Kenson was staring at her. When she frowned at the older woman, Kenson had the grace to look embarrassed and looked away.

"I'm sorry Commander," she said immediately. "I'm just... really surprised that the rumours are true. That you were able to come back from the dead..."

Jane snorted and shook her head, though she felt the cold spread through her spine. She did like thinking about it; hated it in fact.

"I wasn't dead," she said. "Gravely injured but... salvageable."

Kenson raised an eyebrow, her gaze amused. "If you say so Commander," she said and motioned in Miranda's direction. "How did you salvage her?"

This time Jane gave her the full force of her glare. "What do you mean?"

Realising that she might've overstepped a boundary, Kenson quickly held up her hands in apology. "I just mean... Look, I know quite a lot about Cerberus Commander. And I know who she is. I think I'm one of the few who actually know her whole history. I know that she was unwaveringly loyal to the Illusive Man. I find it truly admirable that she seems to be so passionate about following you. And your cause."

Hearing Miranda's returning steps, Jane gave Kenson a level look. "Everyone on my crew knows how important beating the reapers are," she said. "Some of them have faced Sovereign with me; others dared the Collector's base when we moved beyond the Omega 4 Relay. They know that this is not time to draw lines in the sand, to fall back to old loyalties. The coming fight is going to be very simple. It's going to be them, the reapers against all the rest of us. We have to work together."

Kenson nodded, glancing at Miranda when she returned at a jog, immediately handing Shepard the radio piece.

"That I do understand, Commander," she said. "I have seen... I have seen evidence of the reapers. Of their inevitable return. We won't be ready for them if they come now."

Shepard, more than anybody else, knew that. Through the prothean beacons she had seen the destruction of the previous cycle. She had seen how the reapers' numbers darkened the horizon of the worlds they destroyed. It was going to be terrible. And people still didn't believe her.

She pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the radio.

"Kenson can you remember how the batarians communicated?" She queried. "Did they use a certain code when answering or calling out on their radios. I've been hearing some chatter and they always start with a specific number."

Kenson nodded and together the lot of them started moving forward again, with Miranda moving ahead to make sure that they weren't ambushed from the front.

"Galleon three six was the call of the prison guards," she said. "But Commander you're not seriously thinking..."

Jane smiled at her and linked the radio into her omnitool. After fiddling with some of the settings to mask her voice, she opened up a channel.

"Galleon three six," she said. "This is Galleon three six requesting calibrations..."

* * *

"**Shepard sent me back to secure the shuttle," Jacob was saying to Garrus. **"I didn't like leaving them but..." He trailed off awkwardly and Garrus knew _exactly_ why. He could just imagine the situation Jacob had been in. The human male was what his fellows liked to call a jarhead. He was the kind of soldier who _followed orders._ Whether he felt any obligation to remain behind and protect the two women were irrelevant. They had told him to go, and he did.

"It was a good call," Garrus said and glanced at Jack who was still sitting in their shuttle, her eyes closed as she listened to the radio transmissions for any sign that Shepard and Miranda might've been taken. "The activity's increasing and they've called in reinforcements. We need to be ready to leave in a hurry. Have you been able to contact the Normandy?"

Jacob shook his head. "No, all our communications are scrambled," he said. "I think we'll be able to do so as soon as we leave the planet. If we run into trouble, my suggestion would be that one of us makes a dash for it to call for backup."

Garrus was about to agree when he heard Jack curse behind him.

"Fuck me," the little biotic snapped as her eyes flew open. "These bloody batarians are as obsessed with calibrations as you are."

Garrus, thinking that sometimes a joke could be taken _too_ far, frowned at her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Jack sneered, though not at him specifically, and brought her radio closer. "Listen to this," she said. "Some team is requesting calibrations and..."

Garrus's eyes widened and he snatched her arm, immediately answering her radio. "Ten four, for the calibrations," he said. "What's your request?"

There was a pause on the other side of the line as well as a few surprised comments about his reply from other sources. Then, with an unmistakable note of amusement, a husky voice replied.

"About time these quite calibrations are quite urgent ."

_Jane,_ Garrus thought happily. _It's Shepard._

"What's your problem?" Garrus said. "I hear our colleagues getting quite excited so we can't hog the line too long."

"Is now the time to discuss this?" An angry voice interjected but Garrus ignored him.

"It's about the matter that we discussed earlier," Jane replied. "Our instruments need tweaking, our readings are false. Where can we meet for you to sort this out? You might have to pick up the faulty unit."

Garrus quickly motioned to Jacob to come closer. "Get me that schematic of the prison," he whispered. "And trace this signal, tell me where they are calling from."

"I'll get back to you on that," Garrus said. "Keep on using it as you have been, I will call you with adjustments. To avoid the traffic, let's use private line..." he paused and looked at the radio's settings. "Four, that does not seem to be engaged."

"Ten four," Jane said immediately. "If the unit breaks before you come back to me, there will be hell to pay. I like this unit."

She cut the line and Garrus did the same, quickly looking at Jacob's schematic, seeing that he had just finished tracing their location.

"They're still in the cell area," he said. "I'm presuming that they can't go back the way they came. So..." He paused and entered a few commands. Several light dots appeared on the schematic, moving towards where Jane's signal had come from. "These are the other radio communications in the area. There doesn't seem to be a very clear exit. And they probably don't have time to look at the schematic."

Garrus sniffed and allowed his gaze to scan the map. "Well, we do," he said shortly. "Let's find them a way out."

* * *

_**God love turians with imagination,**_**Jane thought as she ended the call, turning back to Miranda and Kenson. **

"We're continuing down this path until Garrus finds us a way out." Jane said and started moving again.

Kenson frowned at the announcement, but started moving with them immediately. "Is this your people on the outside?" she queried and glanced at Miranda. "Are they former Cerberus too?"

Jane's mouthed thinned and she took some pleasure in answering. "No," she said. "Point a fact, they're not. Garrus is former C-sec, Jack's a former convict and Jacob's former Alliance."

Kenson smiled, instead of being offended by her tone. "You have a colourful crew then Commander Shepard," she pointed out. "Has Liara T'soni rejoined you? I met her once. Brilliant girl."

Shepard paused, not sure of how to answer. "She helps us where she can." she said and motioned to Miranda to get moving again. Kenson didn't hesitate to join them and soon they were moving down the maze of corridors at an unsteady jog. Jane resolved to try and be more patient with the scientist. It was clear that she was tired and in pain, but she continued regardless, clearly not wishing to hold them up.

_And eager to get out of this place._

"I'm hoping that whatever you found here will be able to help us as well."

_There,_ Jane thought, _I said it._

Kenson glanced at her and the look she gave Jane did not sit well at all. _What is it about this woman that scratches at me?_

"I think help is a very limited way of describing it Commander," she said. "But, it will certainly bring a better understanding. I do not wish to discuss it here, please. You don't know who's listening and I don't want the batarians to know of my research. I did not deny them that access under torture only to divulge it now."

Jane had to admit but she had a point. They were soon forced to stop running and dive for cover when they ran into a batarian patrol clearly out to try and find them. Heavily armed, it took them an alarmingly long time to neutralise the group. The women had to move away from the scene quickly, worried that they managed to alert the other guards to their location. She was ready to give up on Garrus finding them a way out of the underground maze when a radio transmission caught her attention again.

"Galleon three six, we're coming down with that calibration request for you," a voice spoke into the radio, not bothering to call them. "And, it will be a relatively simple job. Just get your unit to the elevator shaft – we'll meet you half way..."

* * *

**She was halfway to following the shuttle when Samara finally came to her senses. **Her first instinct had been to take Phora's shuttle to the Ba'hak system and see what Jane would be facing there. She knew Aratoth and its reputation. Batarians were ruthless, not only to their own kind but all who dared trespass on their territory. The prison was a place where perpetrators who the batarians did not deem worthy of slavery were sent.

But then she realised that there would be no _use _for such a venture. Jane had left the Normandy with two shuttles so clearly she had her backup thought out. And, what Garus had said was true.

If she wasn't planning on returning to the woman's life, then she should not bother going back at all.

_It's not fair towards her,_ Samara thought as she sat in the shuttle's docking bay which was, coincidentally, in sight of the Normandy. The Cerberus-build ship was the largest in the area and stood apart from the rest of the starships. She was a magnificent vessel and, looking at her, Samara felt a pang of regret. She _missed_ the ship and the crew.

She missed Jane.

But there was nothing she was willing to do about it.

So Samara waited, watching the ship and others that passed by. With Jane, and perhaps Garrus, gone she almost considered hailing the ship but decided that there was no way of knowing if she'd have a warmer welcome than the turian had given her.

_Bu, someone had told me that she was here, _Samara thought as she considered the message that had led her there._ Someone had wanted me to follow her to Omega._ She was about to consider leaving completely when her omnitool beeped, signalling an incoming radio transmission. Half expecting Phora, Samara answered without thinking.

"Yes?"

"Justicar," EDI's voice came up unexpected and like slap from the past. "My scans indicate that your omnitool is in the area. Are they inaccurate?"

If not for the Code, Samara would've lied. As it were, she had very few other options. "They are not, EDI," she said. "My vessel is near your docking bay. How..." _have you been? Can you ask that to a machine?_ "How are things on the Normandy?"

There was no hesitation in EDI's reply. A living being would've paused to take a breath, to think. For the AI, it was simply a matter relaying the information she processed.

"The temperature is twenty-three degrees Celsius at the moment," she said. "Humidity fifty-three percent, oxygen content just above twenty-one percent. My scrubbers have just been cleaned by engineers Donnelly and Daniels. It accounts for the higher-than-usual oxygen content, but it should stabilise in six hours. Commander Shepard is not on board. Should I send her a message that you are here?"

Samara sat up startled and shook her head. "No EDI," She said quickly. "That is unnecessary. I am just passing by." She paused and wondered whether the talkative AI would have the same irritation or anger that Garrus and even Abby had showed towards her. "Tell me, how is Jane?"

The AI's reply was immediate and undeterred. "Her blood pressure is currently hundred-and-sixty over ninety," she pointed out. "Her pulse, seventy-six and her core temperature thirty-seven but I've detected a slight increase..."

"It's... Okay," Samara said quickly. "Thank you, EDI. Tell me, how has she been... emotionally?" Samara wasn't sure whether it was the right way of phrasing it, but she had no idea how to ask the AI what she truly wanted to know.

For the first time, EDI paused slightly, the question clearly more difficult than just spewing facts. "It is hard to quantify Samara," she said eventually and her tone was dead honest. "But I believe that she misses you. And she speaks your name often. In her sleep. Would that be an accurate way to judge longing?"

Samara's heart had gone cold and she had to take a moment before she could work up the courage to answer. Glad that the AI wasn't a real person and that there was nobody around to see her reaction, she closed her eyes and dropped her head, silently praying to the Goddess for forgiveness for the pain that she had caused Jane.

"That... would be accurate, yes," she said quietly and touched her chest. "Have you heard anything from them? I have been told by Dr. Gable that they are on a very dangerous mission to Ba'hak."

Again the AI paused as if she was evaluating how much she would be allowed to tell Samara. That in itself hurt, because there was a time Samara knew she'd have replied without hesitation.

"The details of that mission have been classified," EDI said finally. "I am sorry Justicar, but my protocol forbids me from divulging any information about it. Shepard asked. Specifically." She paused. "There is no way around it. I'm sorry."

Samara sighed and rubbed her brow. "Then let me put it this way, EDI," she said quietly. "I will be in Omega for the next few days. Perhaps you can tell me, if say – there is... Any reason for me to travel to Ba'hak. You don't have to be specific, you can always just provide me with a location."

There was a pause as the AI processed it then Samara could almost feel her smile. It was the strangest sensation.

"If there is reason, Justicar," she said happily, "you will be the first to know."

* * *

**Their path took them to elevator shaft.** Having fended off quite a large attack while Kenson hacked the controls, Jane and Miranda bundled the scientist onto the platform and signalled it to move up. Miranda threw up a barrier which she held in place as they moved upwards. Jane could sense that she was beginning to tire. Kenson had collapsed on the platform, also exhausted and appearing frightened for the first time. She had been grazed on one arm by a bullet and her eyes were white with terror.

"Commander," she breathed. "They'll have time to mount an assault at the top. Are you sure your people are there?" She closed her eyes and pressed her hand against her bleeding arm. "I do not want to get captured. I will rather shoot myself..."

"Ssh," Jane whispered, moving across the platform as she tried to cover all sides; making sure that there were no nooks and crannies that people could fire from. "There's no need for that. My people will be there. Miranda?" She had heard the biotic let out a low breath, as if she was gathering herself. Miranda had held a lot of the attacks at bay with her power and Jane was worried that this barrier might prove to be her last effort. Yet, at the sound of her voice, Miranda took a deep breath and straightened - still keeping her arms spread in order to hold her power in place. She didn't say anything and Jane didn't press. She'd be fine for as long as she needed to be. That was how Miranda worked.

And Jane really did believe that her team would be there to cover them. Garrus had never let her down, had never failed her. If the turian had a plan, she knew that they could rely on him. She didn't know what they planned, but his final communication to them had been clear.

_Stay away from the doors._

Kenson had told them that those would be sealed shut and nothing short of an explosion would be able to open them if she did not get the opportunity to hack them. Jane had a feeling that they wouldn't have to worry about it. She looked up and saw the large cargo doors opening and immediately a series of shots bounced off against Miranda's barrier. The biotic grunted, but then bared her teeth and stood straighter, the blue haze around them brightening. Shepard made sure that her weapon was loaded and was glad to see Kenson do the same, pulling herself up from the floor with effort. Miranda in turn was clearly focussing on something, her eyes glazed as she stared at something neither of the others could see. _Concentrating..._

There was a time in Jane's life when biotics had fascinated her and she regretted not having the ability herself. But then she had met Kaiden and Jack and came to understand the true price that humans paid for this _magical_ power.

Be it pain, freedom or sanity, biotics came at a high cost which always seemed much higher for humans than any other species.

"Get ready!" Miranda yelled as the shots became more intense. "I'm going to..." She didn't complete her sentence as the platform slotted into place. With a cry, Miranda's body suddenly burst into flame and she threw her barrier _out_ as Samara had in the Collector's base. It wasn't nearly as powerful but it had the desired effect, knocking back all of their assailants and giving the women a few seconds to scramble for cover. Jane fired a few shots in the direction of the fallen batarians. She grabbed Miranda as she moved; pushing her ahead of her. Jane's adrenaline kicked in and the world slowed down. She spotted a container which would provide sufficient cover away from the incoming guards. Kenson had now moved in beside them, her body almost touching Jane's as they ran for the same place. The commander wasted no time on courtesy and all but threw Miranda to the floor as both she and Kenson dove for cover.

The biotic was trembling; breathing heavily_._ Jane didn't waste any time on her and shoved a pistol into her hands but Miranda did not lift it immediately.

"Give me a moment," she said hoarsely, clutching her hands into her hair as if she was in pain. "Just..."

Jane didn't wait for her to finish and straightened up briefly, peering over the container to see where the guards were.

"Shit," she breathed. They were already recovering from Miranda's blast and was massing on them; approaching the container from both sides. She grabbed the radio and opened up a channel, no longer caring to keep up the masquerade.

"Garrus! We're going to get humped!"

There was a brief moment of static from the other side and then a clear command.

"If you're not away from the doors, get back right now."

The guards heard this and looked at each other, puzzled and perhaps finally figuring it out that not everybody on their communication's line were their friends. Then, there was noise from outside, followed by a massive explosion that shook the whole facility. Jane threw herself down on the floor, pulling Kenson down with her. For a few seconds, all she could hear was the whistling in her own ears. She could smell fuel, see fire and smoke... It was chaos. She raised herself up to peer over the container and saw that the doors had been replaced by a massive bulk of twisted metal and fire.

And from the fire – a figure approached: her body awash with blue biotics that kept the flames from her. Her eyes were bright and her smile even brighter.

"What's up bitches," Jack said as she raised her hands, two biotic balls of power already dancing in them. "I'm back!"

_The End of Chapter 11_


End file.
